Qing Snake

3-year-aged lapsang (pinewood smoked) red tea in celebration of the Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake

Producer: Xiao Yu Ping

Cultivar: Cai Cha

Processed on: May 1, 2021

Region: Gankeng, Fujian, China

Weight: 50g

Label design: Gentle Oriental

Farmer’s Note
I am a 4th generation tea farmer, and 1st generation tea producer from Gankeng, Fujian. I took over an abandoned tea garden and built a brand new Qing Structure 青楼 for pinewood smoking of red tea. Tea bushes grow in wild at between 700-1,500m elevations. In Gankeng alone, there are more than 200 tea farmers and producers; however, most of them are small, family-owned businesses who have no resources or capability to compete against tea producers in the neighboring Tongmuguan region. It’s my mission to build a collective here in Gankeng, to revive local’s pinewood smoking production, and bring well-deserved recognition to Gankeng Lapsang at the national, then hopefully one day, worldwide stage.

Lapsang – Pinewood Smoking Process
Lapsang, deriving from local Fujian dialect, means pinewood smoked.

The main production process of a lapsang red tea is withering, kneading, oxidizing, passing the red pot, and drying. A traditional lapsang is smoked in a structure called Qinglou 青楼, from the time of withering to ensure a cohesive and long lasting smoky quality. But the same traditional method also calls for a long resting period, or 退烟 (smoke reduction), so the smoky attribute is harmonious with the remaining flavor profile, typically longan, honey, and spice.

Qing Snake, produced by Xiao Yu Ping in 2021, went through the entire process in a brand new Qinglou, built specifically to benefit the entire Gankeng tea production collective. Xiao also moved the firebox from inside the structure to outside, thus eliminating fire hazards commonly occur in a traditional Qinglou structure.

Qing Snake is then set to rest for three years to achieve a balance between smokiness and 回甘 sweet aftertaste.