Lapsang Souchong (煙小種)

archetype: Old hunter by the smoky hearth

An old hunter warms himself by a smoky hearth: resinous pine smoke, smoked date, a forested masculine strength.

History

The first red tea in history, born in the Wuyi mountains at the end of the 16th century. By tradition, a military detachment occupied the village of Tongmuguan during the harvest, and the picked leaf had to be dried in haste — over a pine fire. The result was a tea of vivid smoky aroma, which quickly went into export and became the foundation of the European 'black' tradition (the very name 'black tea' comes from the colour of the dry leaf of lapsang). Today the Tongmuguan lapsang is a protected variety; the smoking is done exclusively over the fire of Pinus massoniana.

Dutch merchants in the 17th century first tasted this 'smoky' tea in the port of Xiamen and at once ordered a huge consignment. The north of Europe is cold and damp; a tea that smelled of the hearth took root instantly. In English homes it was drunk with milk and salt; in Scottish ones — beside peated whisky. Even the 'Russian Caravan' is an echo of lapsang, which travelled to us across the Mongolian steppes and absorbed the smoke of the campfires.

Terroir

800–1500 m. red sandstone rich in iron and minerals; everywhere — the roots of pine. dense fog, long rains, cool nights, little direct sun. 'Zheng shan' ('the true mountain') means leaf only from the Tongmuguan valley itself. Anything smoked elsewhere has formally no right to be called lapsang.

Leaf

dry leaf: long black-brown twisted strands with a noticeable pine aroma — they smell of a campfire in a winter forest

warmed: the warmed leaf at once gives resinous pine, smoked date, a warm coal-sweetness and a touch of tar

after pour: after the infusion — a deep smoke, black raisin, warm cedar, a faint note of wet bark

taste: smoked pine resin, black date, tar, warm wood; in the depth — a honey berry and dried fruit

finish: long, warming, leaving in the chest the sense of a warm fire; the aftertaste lasts an hour

Properties

TCM: warm, yang; warms the middle, disperses cold and damp, moves qi, supports lungs and kidneys

Modern: high content of ferulic and gallic acids, melanoidins of roasting; mildly tonic, helpful in seasonal blues and the sluggish fatigue of winter

Cha qi: dense, warming; felt as a wide warm palm laid on chest and shoulders

Caffeine: medium (40–55 mg)

Brewing ritual

a 150 ml clay gaiwan — to keep the heat; 95 °C; 5 g / 150 ml. 10s — the first smoke: pine, date; 12s — the peak: smoked wood, tar; 15s — a warm forest depth; 22s — a long smoky trail; 35s — the finale — embers in the hearth.

When to drink

day and evening — especially after coming in from the cold. late autumn and winter. when frozen from within, when sad 'for no reason', for long solitary work, before a long conversation. smoked cheeses, dark chocolate, baked pumpkin, meat starters, black bread; with milk — an old English ritual. good alone with a book; for two — without music, by a window

Tea meditation

Smoke rises — follow it with your thoughts.
This tea is about adult strength, not a showy one.
Sit by an imaginary hearth.

Questions and answers

How do you brew Lapsang Souchong?

What does Lapsang Souchong taste like?

smoked pine resin, black date, tar, warm wood; in the depth — a honey berry and dried fruit

How much caffeine is in Lapsang Souchong?

medium (40–55 mg)

What are the effects of Lapsang Souchong?

high content of ferulic and gallic acids, melanoidins of roasting; mildly tonic, helpful in seasonal blues and the sluggish fatigue of winter