Lapsang Souchong is a smoked Black Tea. It is grown in Yunnan Province in China, where tea was first discovered. Most tea produced from Yunnan is aged and fermented, but the region is famous also for this very distinct tea. Did you know the leaf used to make Lapsang is larger than a normal tea leaf? The native name is zhèng shān xiao zhong. Xiaozhong (小种 / 小種) means “sub-variety”and refers to the fourth and fifth leaves of the tea plant. Once picked, the leaf is roasted in the usual way. However, unlike other black tea, the leaf is then smoked. This unusual and distinct process requires carefully placing the tea over burning pine wood. The resin from the wood creates the classic smoky taste for which Lapsang Souchong is rightly famous (I also use a pinch of Lapsang for the smoky edge to my Sherlock Holmes Tea) Poorly made Lapsang can be bitter and overwhelming. A well-crafted Lapsang like ours is smooth, brooding and peaty, yet surprisingly light.