Review of Baker Street Blend

AromaFlavorValueTotal
5 of 104 of 54 of 562 of 100
FairGoodGood Value

This is such a daring mix of different tea types that it's hard to believe the blend is over 100 years old, instead of a seasonal or experimental offering. Baker Street (per Murchie's website) is the same as their popular and longstanding No. 10 Blend, but with one tea added: Lapsang Souchong. So in total, the blend is as follows:
Ceylon (black), with bergamot
Keemun (black)
Gunpowder (green), with jasmine
Lapsang Souchong (black).

That's quite the feat, and to pull it off successfully for over a century deserves some respect. That said, while I absolutely loved the No. 10 Blend, I'm not a big fan of smoky teas, and the Lapsang Souchong influence here is not trivial at all. In the dry-bag aroma, smoke just overwhelms everything. I know the Chinese burn pine wood for L.S. tea, but weirdly, to my nostrils it carries a cannabis tinge too. I might as well be sitting by a campfire getting "Rocky Mountain High" with the ghost of John Denver. I can't even taste the bergamot, except maybe at the back end of the aftertaste. Jasmine is not subservient to the smoke element, but about equal. Fans of L.S. tea, Russian Caravan and the like will probably rate this blend a good bit higher, because aside from the smoke, the tea itself does seem rich, somewhat savory, fairly robust, and high quality. After the 10-bag trial box, I'll be going back to good ol' No. 10.

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