This is the reason I've never really tasted "smokiness" (supposedly present in gunpowder and young hyson) in teas that aren't actually smoked. Lapsang souchong was the first loose-leaf tea I ever drank - in fact, curiosity about this smoked tea I'd heard about is what drove me to try loose-leaf tea. (This is not that first one, though. I finished that a long time ago.)

Really, this tea is a bit like the essence of a wood-heated sauna: wood smoke and steam! It never fails to remind me of Finland: wood fires and tar...
It tastes, well, like smoke, and leaves a lovely smokey aftertaste. Sometimes there's a kind of tingling sensation when I drink it.

I haven't been drinking much lapsang souchong lately, but it retains a special place in my heart.

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