When I open a bag of Lapsang Souchong tea, it has an overpowering aroma of pine smoke. After brewing, there is still a smokiness in my drink but it is far more subtle, and in particular seems to vary fairly widely from cup to cup.
I wonder what factors would cause this inconsistent extraction, and, more to the point, how I could focus my efforts to tweak the final product. For example, if I steep hotter, or cooler, or longer, or shorter, or covered, or stirred, etc.
Best Answer
For overall full-flavor, these instructions produce the best cup:
Got that off this site promoting their LS tea from the Wuyi Mountain area of Fujian where I have toured and sampled: http://hojotea.com/item_e/b02e.htm The part about only boiling once should not be underestimated: tea needs the oxygen to react and release those magical substances.
Have you experimented with second brewing? Drink the first cuppa after a short brew and cover with water again and see if that is indeed smokier.