Smoky Lapsang Souchong Wild Black Tea

–  Sifu, how come Lapsang Souchong tastes so good and so comforting, especially in the evening? Every time I drink it, I get so cozy.

 – The secret lies in the smell of a campfire. Mr.Wen, who made this tea, makes sure that the tea gets nicely fried by the rising smoke of pinewood. The gentle tea leaves absorb the smoke. Then, later at night, you can enjoy the soft, mellow taste with the fragrance of a campfire. It’s the precise combination to make a person feel oh-so-cozy.

Lapsang Souchong (Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong) is the forefather of all the black teas. Furthermore, our organic Lapsang Souchong is handmade by a very experienced tea master, Mr. Wen, who is very strict about using only traditional tea-making methods. Indeed, making Lapsang Souchong requires at least twenty procedures, including withering, rolling, oxidation, and other traditional crafting techniques.

Our Smoky Lapsang Souchong is processed in a traditional building with several floors. There is a large fireplace on the first floor where the pinewood is burning. The tea absorbs the rising smoke through all the stages. First, when farmers spread the tea leaves to rest and dry out during the withering. The lack of moisture makes the smoke sink even deeper into the leaves during the drying stage. Finally, the leaves are slowly infused with the smoke to the core during the baking and re-baking. The finished tea is called "Smoked Souchong" (烟小种 – Yan Xiao Zhong) and holds the unique scent of smoky pine. This smoky fragrance is very well-balanced, complementing the tea's natural sweetness. The unique flavor is present in each cup until the very last brew.

The Wild (Ye Sheng) Lapsang Souchong uses tea leaves from freely growing tea shrubs in the WuYi mountain. Its moist black leaves are tight and firm, with a delicate shine, as if they're glowing from within. The intensive deep amber tea soup is clear and transparent. Its high, intensive aroma balances notes of dried dates and longan with the signature pine smoke fragrance. A warm, comforting taste combines sweet honey with hints of rock flavor, just like walking into an alpine forest in full bloom on a sunny day. The tea is naturally brew-resistant, and a lasting aftertaste lingers on the teeth and inner cheeks long after the final brew.

Today's market is flooded with tea, calling itself Zhengshan Xiaozhong. However, the core production area of this special kind of black tea is tiny. It comprises 12 villages within the Tongmu Guan area in Wu Yi Mountain. The Tongmu village in the center of this area was the birthplace of black tea almost 400 years ago. It is an area of protected designation of origin (PDO). It is where our tea comes from - Tongmu, Wuyi Mountain, the birthplace of Hong Cha, a legendary tea region of many peaks, valleys, and a river that flows through them. 

Watch a video on how this tea almost ceased to exist 

• Place of Origin: Tong Mu Guan, Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China
• Altitude: 1000m
  
• Harvest Time: April 2022
• Picking Standard: One bud and two or three leaves
• Aroma: Remarkable and strong, but not overwhelming
• Taste: Notes of smoky pine flavor. The taste is soft, mellow, with a sweet finish, leaving a very pleasant, fragrant smell lingering in the mouth and throat
• Cultivar: Wuyi Qi Cong ( 武夷奇种)

Brewing guidelines: