Lapsang souchong

Lapsang souchong

Type:	Black
Other names:	正山小种 (pinyin: zhèngshān xiǎozhǒng)
Origin:	Mount Wuyi, Fujian Province China
Quick description:	Souchong smoked over pine fire, smoky taste.

Preparation

Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Wuyi region of the Chinese province of Fujian. It is sometimes referred to as smoked tea. Lapsang is distinctive from all other types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pinewood fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour.

The leaves are first withered over fires of pine or cypress wood. After panfrying and rolling, they are pressed into wooden barrels and covered with cloth to ferment until they give off a pleasant fragrance. The leaves are fried again and rolled into taut strips. Then they are placed in bamboo baskets and hung on wooden racks over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the smoke flavor. When finished they are thick, glossy black strips, and produce a dark red beverage with a unique aroma.

History

The name in Fukienese means "smoky variety" or more correctly "smoky sub-variety." Lapsang souchong is a member of the Wuyi Bohea family of teas. The story goes that the tea was created during the Qing era when the passage of armies delayed the annual drying of the tea leaves in the Wuyi hills. Eager to satisfy demand, the tea producers sped up the drying process by having their workers dry the tea leaves over fires made from local pines.

Flavor

A black tea, lapsang souchong has a rich color.

Lapsang souchong's flavor is strong and smoky, similar to the smell of a campfire or of Latakia pipe tobacco or of ski wax. Another word to describe the taste is creosote, which should have a positive connotation. The flavor of the pine smoke is meant to complement the natural taste of the black tea, but should not overwhelm it.

Tea merchants marketing to westerners note that this variety of tea generally produces a strong reaction - with most online reviews extremely positive or strongly negative.

Use

In addition to being drunk as a tea, in which case it tastes particularly good with salty and spicy dishes and also with cheese, having a strong smoky flavor.

Lapsang souchong imparts a smoky flavor to oven roasted ribs even when the oven is kept at a temperature low enough to achieve a tender roast. Because of this quality, Chinese cooks smoke a variety of foodstuffs over smoldering black tea.

Its smoky flavor also may be used to add a distinctive tang to a variety of savory culinary creations. Added to mayonnaise Lapsang souchong gives an appropriate flavor for a smoked turkey sandwich

Regional variations

Several companies market lapsang souchong tea bags

Lapsang souchong from the original source is increasingly expensive, as Wuyi is a small area and there is increasing interest in this variety of tea. Over the years this tea has suffered so many transformations and became so far removed from the original. Many tea producers would take old tea smoke it heavily and/or add chemicals with smoke flavor, and sold it as Lapsang Souchong.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Gautier, Lydia. 2006. Tea: Aromas and Flavors Around the World. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811856829
• Heiss, Mary Lou, and Robert J. Heiss. 2007. The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1580087452
• Pettigrew, Jane, and Bruce Richardson. 2008. The New Tea Companion. Perryville, KY: Benjamin Press. ISBN 978-0979343179
• Knight, Elizabeth, and Bruce Richardson. Tea in the City: New York. Benjamin Press, 2006. ISBN 0966347870
• Chow, Kit, and Ione Kramer. All the Tea in China. China Books & Periodicals Inc., 1990. ISBN 0835121941

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