What is Lapsang Souchong Black Tea?
Some people might tell you that Lapsang Souchong black tea is an acquired taste. They are right, but it’s worth acquiring! This type of tea has a distinctive smoky flavor and smells like the pine fires it was smoked over. It also has low caffeine content – about half as other types of black tea. If you’re looking for something different, this is the way to go!
Lapsang Souchong is a type of black tea that originates from Wuyi Mountains in Fujian province of China and is typically produced with larger, coarser leaves from the Bohea cultivar of the camellia Sinensis Sinensis plant. The Bohea cultivar has been bred to absorb the smoke flavouring more easily.
However, any leaf can be used to produce Lapsang Souchong, including young leaves and buds as in “zheng shan xiao zhong” variety.
It is one of the oldest black teas on Earth and several tea experts claim Lapsang Souchong’s age was earlier than Keemun black tea of China. Quite a few tea estates in China produce this unique tea and its manufacture was kept secret for centuries.
There are a variety of methods to accomplish Lapsang Souchong’s distinctive smoking flavor:
- The traditional method: one way to smoke tea is to process the leaves in a smokehouse. This is called Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong. The leaves are cold smoked and most of the smoke flavoring happens during the finalf drying phase. The leaves are dried indoors on bamboo mats and turned every so often, then rolled to break cell walls and start the oxidation process. Then tea leaves are moved and left to oxidize for about 5-6 hours. A second twisting then occurs and then the final stage, where the tea leaves are left drying with the smoke for about 10-12 hours.
- The generic souchong lapsang method: leaves are collected from more distant farms and partially withered & oxidized just right after being plucked. Then hot smoking process occurs (and not cold as in the traditional method): leaves are transported to a centralized smoking tea factory.
Why is Lapsang Souchong outlawed in Europe?
Lapsang Souchong smoky tea is outlawed in Europe because it contains high levels of toxic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) embedded into the leaves surface during the smoking process.
Studies show that these molecules can be toxic to humans and regarded by many health authorities as carcinogenic substances. Therefore, the European Union has decided to ban this tea from being sold in their region.
Smoked tea is becoming harder to find in Europe due to new regulations, but luckily for tea lovers, Chinese producers are adjusting their methods to produce safer teas.
What does Lapsang Souchong tea taste like?
The unique oxidation processes in Lapsang Souchong tea leaves produce a delicious refreshing, yet spicy taste unique to the tea. The smoky tea is rich in pine scented resin because pine needles and pine timber have burned for burning and drying tea in the preparation of the lapsang souchong.
This unique flavor is what gives Lapsang Souchong its characteristic smoky taste and makes it so distinct from other black teas. So if you’re looking for something new and exciting to try, be sure to give lapsang souchong a go! You won’t regret it.
Does Lapsang Souchong have caffeine?
Black tea blends usually have about one-quarter to one-half the caffeine of brewed coffee, depending on how old the leaves are when they are harvested and how long they are steeped. Lapsang Souchong leaves are larger and more mature than many other black tea leaves. This means that they contain less caffeine than younger black teas and as a result, lapsang souchong has lower levels of caffeine.
Many black tea blends can contain up to 90 mg per cup but Lapsang Souchong’s caffeine is often not more than 60 mg (usually closer to 40).
Lapsang Souchong and Tea Blends
Earl Grey
Lapsang souchong is a type of black tea that has a fuller flavor and a more robust aroma. This type of tea is often blended with Earl Grey tea, for example.
Russian Caravan
Russian Caravan is a blend of 60% Keemun, 20% Lapsang Souchong, and the rest roasted Oolong. The blend is meant to remind people of the caravans of camels that used to carry goods such as black tea from China to Russia in the 19th century. This was a long journey, and during it the tea would absorb some of the smoke from the campfire.
British Blends
Lapsang souchong is a type of tea that has been popularly associated with Winston Churchill. He enjoyed the tea, but it is used more in Russian-labelled blends. These blends often have sweet spices and citrus added to them.
