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“Gongfu! I love pretty much every smoked tea that I can get my hands on, from the most brash and aggressive tasting teas to ones with the more fleeting and subtle whisps, so when I saw that...” Read full tasting note
The result of some long-term plans coming to fruition, this tea was well worth the wait. Made from Tongmuguan material, now a protected heritage site with over 400 years of tea producing history, this Zhengshan Xiaozhong (aka “Lapsong Souchong”) black tea is traditionally processed and smoked using stocked Masson pine, which is also now protected and no longer logged.
The result is an unparalleled black tea experience, with notable floral qualities, some light fruitiness, and of course a smokiness that is pleasant, but never bitter.
This tea’s quality shines through brew after brew, with the layered fragrance, flavour, and smoked quality persisting after many infusions. The soup is also quite round and textured, filling the mouth nicely and making this an extremely comforting tea.
Another standout quality is the cup scent, which offers prominent notes of baked goods/cinnamon buns, which is not necessarily noticeable when drinking.
The overall profile of this tea is quite bold and rich. We recommend comparing with out old bush variant of the same tea, which shares many of the same qualities as this tea, but with a more embedded smoky quality and overall elegant profile.
$0.70-0.80/gram
Picking Period: Spring 2024
Region: Tongmuguan, Fujian
Varietal: Small Leaf (小种)
Company description not available.
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I love pretty much every smoked tea that I can get my hands on, from the most brash and aggressive tasting teas to ones with the more fleeting and subtle whisps, so when I saw that Bitterleaf was offering Lapsang Souchong from Tongmuguan (aka THE place to get traditionally smoked lapsang from), I was unquestionably on board. It is very, very good.
As far as the level of pine smoke goes, I would say this is more of a medium intensity erring ever so slightly on the softer side. It’s smooth and sultry, without a hint of bitterness or astringency to it. The black tea itself is also very fragrant with a really sweet floral aroma of sakura blossoms and sweet red stonefruits; very cherry-like. Medium to full-bodied, and so very layered. Soft blankets of smoke, rose, and sakura in the top notes, with a gentle mid sip of ripe and tangy red cherry cherry and strawberry, all with a delicate woody finish and lingering aftertaste of darkly sweet black licorice. I expected something good, but I wasn’t totally prepared for something THIS good.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFVqTLLSTVm/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57cJ5LDaAHk&ab_channel=CalinRed
