Hatidubi Smokey Fu Soonga Smoked Assam Tea is one more unique smoked tea that might be very interesting for lapsang soughong lovers.
Name: Hatidubi Smokey „Fu Soonga“
Tea Vendor: Confet-Tea (UK)
Tea Producer: Hatidubi Tea Estate, Assam
Type: Indian black tea
If Lapsang Souchong is mature and traditional, Japanese smoked are sophisticated and elegant, Fu Soonga smoked Assam tea is playful and young.
Getting under the smoke
Leaves are quite nice, dark reddish-brown, long and thing, unbroken, without dust. Dry leaves have a very interesting scent – dark chocolate malty background with intense smoke. Smoked chocolate bacon. Fresh, but maybe a bit too undefined, like this tea is way too playful to be smoked, and couldn’t stand still. In the warmed teapot they get even more playful and fruity, with smoke only veiling them, not torturing them. I would call the scent neon like, almost as it has something sour in it, stinging the nose a bit. There is an unmistakable Assam character to it, which makes it quite interesting. 30 grams of „Fu Soonga“ Smoked Assam tea costs 3.50 GBP, around 7.45 USD.
Fu Soonga Smoked Assam Tea in the Cup
2 min, 3 min, 5 min, 4 grams, 150 ml, 95 degrees
Color is dark brick-red, very full, but clear. Smoke is not overwhelming, neither in the scent of the liquor nor in the flavor. Scent is actually very pleasant and unobtrusive. Leaves have a very nice scent after the first steeping. However, you have to find the right water-leaves-temperature ratio. It can be a bit too light if brewed with less leaves and cooler water, and a bit too astringent if brewed with 1-2 grams more and 95 degrees. It has some slight slight astringency and drying end, and some light sweetness overall. Used leaves have a scent of smoked leather, they are greenish-chocolaty brown.
This tea is not an everyday tea in my opinion, unless we are talking about breakfast tea choices. First two infusions are good as they are, and third one is a bit drying and without a smoky note. It wouldn’t mind a dash of milk. Fu Soonga offers quite a lot. It has an evident malty Assam note veiled in smoke.
