Dark amber liquor with bold notes of wood smoke and cedar

• Fujian, China

Sometimes referred to as the first black tea, the origin of Lapsang Souchong is up for a bit of debate, so we will leave it up to you to decide which story you find more plausible. One origin story credits the resourceful villagers of Tong Mu in the Wuyi province with rescuing their tea crop through creativity. In this legend, picking and processing in the Wuyi region that traditionally produces full-leaf oolongs was interrupted by an invading army. As the army arrived, villagers abandoned their crop and came back to find their leaves turning brown (oxidizing), so they quickly dried them over pine fires, creating the first black tea: Laspang Souchong. Another story for the origin of this tea is much more banal: the traditional green (unoxidized) teas that the Chinese had been trading with Europeans were losing quality over the long trade routes. So, tea makers devised a new way of drying leaves over pine fires that preserved their quality and imparted a distinctly smokey flavor.

Whichever origin story you believe, we are certainly glad that an enterprising tea maker developed the process to oxidize and smoke tea, creating Lapsang Souchong!

Brew 5 grams (~1 flat Tbsp) of Lapsang Souchong in 205° F water for 3 minutes. Resteep 1-2 times at increasing time intervals.

Preheat your traditional teaware with 205° F water. After discarding your warming water, fill your teaware 1/3 full with leaves and brew at 205° F for 45-60 seconds. Resteep multiple times at decreasing time intervals.