Lapsang souchong
Encyclopedia
Lapsang souchong is a black tea
(Camellia sinensis
) originally from the Wuyi
region of the Chinese
province of Fujian
. It is sometimes referred to as smoked tea (熏茶). Lapsang is distinct from all other types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pine
wood fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour.
The name in Minnan means "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.
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.
High grade lapsang souchong possesses a taste of dried longan
for the first few brews.
Lapsang souchong's flavour is strong and smoky, similar to the smell of a barbecue
or campfire
, or of Latakia
pipe tobacco. The flavour 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.
Tea connoisseurs often note that Formosan
lapsang souchong typically has a stronger flavour and aroma, the most extreme being tarry souchong (smoked, as the name implies, over burning pine tar).
Roasting in a bamboo basket called honglong烘笼 that is heated over
burning firewood, which contributes to the dried longan aroma and
smoky flavor. Pine tree was used as the firewood for lapsang souchong
and contains the characteristic resin aroma and taste.
and α-terpineol. Many of the compounds making up the aroma of lapsang souchong, including longifolene, originate only in the pine smoke, and are not found in other kinds of tea.
author James A. Michener
's 1974 historical novel
Centennial
, Rocky Mountain
fur trapper Alexander McKeag describes lapsang souchong as "a man's tea, deep and subtle and blended in some rugged place," ... "better even than whisky."
Colin Hay
, singer from the Australian band Men at Work
references lapsang souchong in his song Beautiful World from his 2001 album Going Somewhere
.
Black tea
Black tea is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties.All four varieties are made from leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the...
(Camellia sinensis
Camellia sinensis
Camellia sinensis is the species of plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce Chinese tea. It is of the genus Camellia , a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. White tea, green tea, oolong, pu-erh tea and black tea are all harvested from this species, but are processed...
) originally from the Wuyi
Wuyi
Wuyi may refer to the following in China:*Wuyi Mountains , mountain range in northern Fujian*Wuyi County, Hebei , of Hengshui, Hebei*Wuyi County, Zhejiang , of Jinhua, Zhejiang*Wuyi, Chuzhou , town in Nanqiao District, Chuzhou, Anhui...
region of the Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
province of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. It is sometimes referred to as smoked tea (熏茶). Lapsang is distinct from all other types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
wood fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour.
The name in Minnan means "smoky sub-variety." Lapsang souchong is a member of the Wuyi
Wuyi
Wuyi may refer to the following in China:*Wuyi Mountains , mountain range in northern Fujian*Wuyi County, Hebei , of Hengshui, Hebei*Wuyi County, Zhejiang , of Jinhua, Zhejiang*Wuyi, Chuzhou , town in Nanqiao District, Chuzhou, Anhui...
Bohea
Bohea
Bohea , a kind of oolong, or, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, black tea generally, as in Pope's line, "So past her time 'twixt reading and bohea.", or from Frances Hodgson Burnett's book 'A Lady Of Quality': "One may be sure that...many dishes of Bohea were drunk." Later the name 'bohea' has...
family of teas. The story goes that the tea was created during the Qing era
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
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.
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.
Flavour and aroma
Longan
Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
for the first few brews.
Lapsang souchong's flavour is strong and smoky, similar to the smell of a barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
or campfire
Campfire
A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...
, or of Latakia
Latakia (tobacco)
Latakia tobacco is a specially prepared tobacco originally produced in Syria and named after the port city of Latakia. Now the tobacco is mainly produced in Cyprus. It is initially sun-cured like other Turkish tobaccos and then further cured over a pine or oak wood fire, which gives it an intense...
pipe tobacco. The flavour 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.
Tea connoisseurs often note that Formosan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
lapsang souchong typically has a stronger flavour and aroma, the most extreme being tarry souchong (smoked, as the name implies, over burning pine tar).
Smoke roast
Smoke roast (熏焙xun bei):Roasting in a bamboo basket called honglong烘笼 that is heated over
burning firewood, which contributes to the dried longan aroma and
smoky flavor. Pine tree was used as the firewood for lapsang souchong
and contains the characteristic resin aroma and taste.
Chemistry
The unique aroma of lapsang souchong is due to a variety of chemical compounds. The two most abundant constituents of the aroma are longifoleneLongifolene
Longifolene is the common chemical name of a naturally occurring, oily liquid hydrocarbon found primarily in the high-boiling fraction of certain pine resins. The name is derived from that of a pine species from which the compound was isolated, Pinus longifolia Chemically, longifolene is a...
and α-terpineol. Many of the compounds making up the aroma of lapsang souchong, including longifolene, originate only in the pine smoke, and are not found in other kinds of tea.
Cultural references
In AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
's 1974 historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
Centennial
Centennial (novel)
Centennial is a novel by American author James A. Michener, published in 1974.Centennial traces the history of the plains of northeast Colorado from prehistory until the early 1970s. Geographic details about the fictional town of Centennial and its surroundings indicate that the region is in...
, Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
fur trapper Alexander McKeag describes lapsang souchong as "a man's tea, deep and subtle and blended in some rugged place," ... "better even than whisky."
Colin Hay
Colin Hay
Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
, singer from the Australian band Men at Work
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
references lapsang souchong in his song Beautiful World from his 2001 album Going Somewhere
Going Somewhere
Going Somewhere is an album by Scottish-Australian singer Colin Hay, released in 2001.In December 2005, Hay and Heather Mills digitally re-released "My Brilliant Feat" as a charity single as a tribute to the late footballer George Best who died on 25 November 2005...
.