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Lapsang Souchong

Wuyi Smoke

正山小种

Wuyi Smoke

Regular price £14.50 GBP
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Wuyi Smoke — Spring 2021

Smoked in the traditional style using pine wood, this red tea comes from the Wuyi Mountains, the original home of Lapsang Souchong. Known in China as Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, the tea is slowly smoked during processing, giving the leaves their distinctive pine aroma and deep, warming character.

The first steeps open with smoked plum and pine resin, followed by darker fruit and oak as the leaves begin to unfold. The smoke is pronounced but balanced by the natural sweetness of the tea, developing into a softer, woody character through later infusions. A gentle peatiness runs through the finish, giving it a character that strongly recalls Laphroaig whisky.

Deep, warming, and savoury, this is a tea for anyone drawn to smoke. The pine is unmistakable, but there is plenty happening underneath it, with dark fruit, wood, and a softer sweetness emerging across multiple steeps.

Tastes like
Smoked plum, pine resin, Laphroaig (Top);
Dried fruit, oak, soft peat (Base);

Brewing
5g tea / 100ml water / 95–100°C
Steep for 20–45 sec. Re-steep several times. Shorter steeps keep the fruit and sweetness more prominent, while longer infusions bring out more pine, wood, and smoke.

In the cup
Wuyi Smoke is rich and warming, with a pronounced smoky aroma and a dry, savoury finish. The character gradually softens over successive infusions, allowing more of the fruit and natural sweetness of the leaf to come through.

Particularly good in colder weather, after food, or whenever you want something deep and comforting.

Size:
35g

How to brew
Gongfu Style 5g : 100ml

Our favourite way to brew tea. Use a gaiwan or small teapot and steep the leaves for around 30-45 seconds. Re-steep several times, adjusting the time as you go. Each infusion will bring out something slightly different from the leaves.

Western Style 1g : 100ml

For a larger pot or a single longer brew, use around 1g of tea per 100ml of water. Steep for 3-5 minutes, then strain. Increase the leaf or brewing time if you prefer a stronger cup.

Grandpa Style 1g : 100ml

The simplest way to brew. Add the leaves directly to your mug, fill with hot water and start drinking once the leaves have opened and begun to settle. When you're around two-thirds of the way through, top up with more hot water and keep going.

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