Burnt Tea

When my mom was small her family had friends who owned Calve Island just off the coast of the town of Tobermary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. my mom and her younger brother, who were visiting the family for a week, sailed, fish, played golf among the sheep on the island, went on picnics and late each afternoon had tea and played games in a barn which had been converted to a guest house and great room for family gatherings. A lovely burned in the barn's fireplace as tea was served. When my mom tasted the tea, she noticed it was different from tea she was used to and shocked at the taste. She thought her host must have burnt the tea! As no one else seemed to be reacting to the tea the same way she was, my mom tasted the tea again. It had a smoky flavor, and she decided it was a good tea for a gray, cold Scottish day next to a fire. And thus was her introduction to Lapsang Souchong, now her favorite tea.