Lapsang Souchong (smoked tea) mead

[Seamonkey84]

I just finished my first ounce of this wonder tea. I first heard about it On this forum in a smoked honey thread. Now I want to make a batch highlighting this tea. Now I’ve read through many posts and articles about using tea in a brew. But most of it is about adding tannins or using an herbal blend for flavor. In this case, I’m looking for a honey type (prob going to make it semisweet) to pair with the smoke aroma and flavor of the tea. Also trying to decide if I want to make a full strength tea to use as the must for primary, or to make a concentrate and add into secondary.
Also, suggestions for a good source of this tea, I use to order my favorite tea from teaspring.com but it’s been 12 years since I have ordered any tea, first hand suggestions would be appreciated. I’m also currently considering ordering from The Tea Spot and Adagio

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Sounds interesting. I'd say you want to add the tea in the secondary. If you put it in the primary, a lot of the flavor/odor will blow off with the CO2, and you'll loose a lot of the subtlety.

And that's the best sort of tea!

 

[Rick Davidson]

Subscribed, seems to be a good idea! And twice that Brett already said, it's the best sort of tea.
I order mine from https://www.harney.com/

 

[Seamonkey84]

That’s what I was thinking, adding to secondary will let the tea shine through. What type of honey though? I have plenty of orange blossom, but would it be worth it or match well with the tea? I still need to get more of this stuff, I’m having cravings for that smoky aroma lol.

 

[bernardsmith]

I would use a wildflower honey. You want the tea to take front and center stage and Lapsang Souchong tea can hold the stage. I understand the reason for adding the tea to the secondary but you might simply make a very drinkable tea and use that tea to mix with the honey. If you really want more of the tea flavor than is left after you rack to the secondary you can always add more leaf but when I made this wine I found that the intensity of flavor was just right (for me).

 

[Seamonkey84]

I would use a wildflower honey. You want the tea to take front and center stage and Lapsang Souchong tea can hold the stage. I understand the reason for adding the tea to the secondary but you might simply make a very drinkable tea and use that tea to mix with the honey. If you really want more of the tea flavor than is left after you rack to the secondary you can always add more leaf but when I made this wine I found that the intensity of flavor was just right (for me).

I personally do want to see what it would be like to have the tea as part of the primary fermentation. Adding it to secondary would be controlled and keep more flavor and aroma, but that is just flavoring a traditional mead with tea.
I like my tea about the strength that the instructions recommend, a rounded teaspoon of loose leaf tea per 8oz. How much tea would you recommend I put into a gallon so that it’ll come out similar strength to a cup of tea at the end. I know I should steep it three times longer than I would for drinking straight, I was thinking about using the instructions for kombucha, but just adding yeast instead of SCOBY

 

[wildmazer]

i've done lapsang souchong mead a few times. Strong brewed tea instead of any water in primary has worked well for me.

 

[Immocles]

Following this thread. I like where this is going.

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Subscribed, seems to be a good idea! And twice that Brett already said, it's the best sort of tea.
I order mine from https://www.harney.com/

Actually, that was a pun... Woosh!

 

[Seamonkey84]

Actually, that was a pun... Woosh!

Yea... i don’t get it either lol.

 

[wildmazer]

Yea... i don’t get it either lol.

subtle...tea

 

[Seamonkey84]

Just got my lapsang from Adagio yesterday. It’s nice and smooth for a black tea, but not strong enough on the smoke for me. I’ll be drinking it for sure, but it’s not the liquid campfire smoke I got from my local tea shop (which is currently shut down).