Scotch and blended whiskies and bourbons are ideal pairings.
Winston Churchill was famously a lover of Scotch and Lapsang Souchong and often drank his tea with a splash of Scotch mixed in. It should be paired with bold teas that stand up to its unique smoky, minerally, or mossy flavors. Lapsang Souchong, Gunpowder, Smoked Earl Grey, and even aged pu’er blend well with it.
Smokin’
The intense, smoky flavors of certain teas aren’t a fluke. Some are made from leaves actually smoke-cured during preparation, imbuing them with a robust taste that your dad may well appreciate on his special day. If he enjoys a cigar now and then, there are teas perfect to be enjoyed with his smoke, including the green tea listed below. And if a steak cooking on the Barbie is his ideal meal, gift him a smoked tea rub for an unforgettable Father’s Day feast.
Tea Trekker | Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong #1
This organic black tea from Fujian Province is lightly cold-smoked over pinewood, resulting in a deep, rich, oaky flavor. Considered a “historic” tea, it was reserved for the Chinese market for many years and is still rarely sold outside China. It differs from the better-known Lapsang Souchong in that the fresh leaf comes from protected, pristine tea gardens near the smoking sheds. The cold-smoking process maintains most of the flavor and “finesse” of the base tea. | Black tea
$32.50 (4 oz.) | www.teatrekker.com
Adagio | Lapsang Souchong
This classic Lapsang Souchong is famous for its smoky aroma and flavor. Approachable, clean, looking golden-coppery in the cup, the mark of a Lapsang that hasn’t been “smoked to a jerky,” says Adagio Teas. Dad will savor a hint of sweet pine flavor. | Black tea
$10 (3 oz.) | www.adagio.com
Silk Road Tea | Emperor’s Keemun Black Tea
Called a “tea of celebration,” what could be better for celebrating your dad? This black tea is described as “complex and delightfully smooth,” gently smoky, and releasing notes of orchid, rose, and cocoa. If Pop is a king, he deserves an Emperor. | Black tea
$15.99 (tin) | https:||silkroadteastore.com
Dammann Frères | Smokey Crocodile Tea
A powerful, full-bodied tea with a smoky flavor. Reproduces the aromatic palette of the iconic smoky tea from Taiwan in a rich and subtle tea with an amber-colored liquor.| 100g
https://www.dammann.fr/en/black-tea-smokey-crocodile.html
€5.50 | www.dammann.fr
Whittard | Smoky Earl Grey Tea
One of Whittard’s classic teas with a subtle, masculine touch. This Smoky Earl Grey blend is a marriage of two worlds, where deep smoky aromas flirt with sweet and bright citrus for a deliciously smooth finish.| 100g
€13 | www.whittard.co.uk
