Baker Street Afternoon Blend

I'd have given this 5 stars, as it's my favorite hot tea, except I made the mistake of making a batch of iced tea with this. So I've got 5 quarts of very smoky iced tea. The smokiness is toned down with something sweet - I'm using a little black raspberry coulis from my garden's berries.

Has more smoke and body than a keemun and is easier to drink than most lapsangs.

I was introduced to this blend via the British Sampler. My mother in law disliked the lapsang suchong, but I found I loved it. It’s now my go-to afternoon tea.

This has become my go-to black tea blend. Upton calls it an afternoon tea, but I like it in the morning, with milk and sugar. It's perfect for breakfast with a piece of toast!

This is a lightly smoky, full-bodied black tea that takes a bit of milk and sugar well. I enjoyed this tea very much; I'm not a big fan of the super-smoky Lapsang Souchong but this was just a touch of smokiness and made my teatime that much more special. This one is on my re-order list.

Fantastic tea. Now one of my favorites, just the right amount of lapsang souchong blended in for a terrific cup of tea anytime.

I indeed would have liked a "bit of lapsang souchong blended in" but my last order was pure lapsang souchong, the taste was completely overwhelming. I do like l.s. but that's not what I ordered! And I had ordered this before so I remember what is tasted like.

Prepped: warm water prep washed to open the leaves, Boiling water then let it rest for 10 to 15 seconds then poured into the teapot. Likes: Tastes like a bourbon, peat, Golden Bourbon hue, Frothy head, I could smell this tea all day long Dislikes: None Currently

I first tried this as part of the British Blend Sampler, and I was hooked from the first sip. It has the rich smokiness of Lapsang Souchong, but mellowed enough to not be overwhelming.

I encountered the Baker Street blend (or something just like it - they didn't divulge their suppliers) at a local tea shop and realized that maybe I'd been too hasty when I first condemned lapsang souchong, years ago. Very distinctive and not overwhelmingly smoky.

Received as part of a sample pack. Really love the rich, smoky notes; it takes me back to a small cured meat shop in South America! Will be buying again!