Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey there Teacups! It’s time for another Let’s Talk Tea post, this time around I’ll be reviewing Tregothnan’s Oak Smoked – Black Tea. I’m sure by now you all recognise the Tregothnan name and if not, you can read all my past post featuring them here. I’m so thankful that they took a chance on me and my blog and sent me some of their blends to try they’ve helped introduce me to so many flavour profiles and pairing that I never would have thought off and I can’t wait to order myself some more of their phenomenal blends in the future.

Out of all the blend that they sent me to try this one is the only one I was a little scared to try because you all know what my opinions of smoked teas are. But rather than leave this blend until last and worry about trying it for a while I thought I would push myself out of my comfort zone and just jump straight into trying it. I’ve been trying to get out of my comfort zones much more lately and so far, I’ve managed to do some great things by doing so.

Dry Leaves

Smokey – Malty – Vanilla – Honey – Slightly Woody

Aroma wise this is reminiscent of a classic lapsang souchong but with a much more toned-down Smokey note and a sweet vanilla underpinning that I really didn’t expect. The leaves are a really good size and are only a little bit broken, they vary in colour from dark black to light brown and as always with Tregothnan they are of a brilliant quality.

Tea Tasting Notes

Like I said at the start of this post I was a little bit scared to try this tea at first because I’ve not had the best track record with Smokey teas because my taste buds never used to agree with them and couldn’t handle them but my aim this year is to go out of my tea comfort zones so instead of leaving this blend until last I thought I’d try it as soon as I possibly could. I was a little bot more comfortable with trying this blend that I would have been a classic lapsang because of the slight vanilla note I got from the aroma and the fact that the Smokey note wasn’t as strong as a normal lapsang. I hoped more than anything that I would translate into the taste because it would have taken this blend to a whole new level. I couldn’t have been happier when I took my first sip and that vanilla note came through, it wasn’t as strong as I would have liked it to be but never the less it was there and that’s what mattered.

This blend well and truly took me by surprise never did I think I would enjoy a Smokey tea as much as I enjoyed this one. I love it when companies but their own spin on classic teas sometimes they can be hit or miss but this one was done perfectly. The use of British oak has made for a delectable soft Smokey note with woody underpinnings that is so incredibly unique, that paired with the slight vanilla like note made for a cup of absolute magic. Mouthfeel wise it was a little drying and it does have a little bit of astringency but neither really effected my overall enjoyment of this tea. This is a game changer for me, you never know by this time next year I’ll be telling you all just how much I love Smokey teas not matter what their strength. (Fingers crossed)

Overall Teacup Rating: 4.5/5

You can find out more about Tregothnan and purchase this tea for yourself here, as always teacups if you have any questions at all either stick them in the comments or send them to me on twitter/Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll answer them as soon as I can.

Speak to you all soon. Happy Steeping! – Kimberley