Known in the West as Lapsong Souchong, this tea, unlike most, is lightly smoked using real pinewood for a foresty complex, sweet taste. 

Tea Type or Tisane | Flavors: black | pine, forest, baked bread, sweet potato

Tea Tips: The complex flavors of this tea are best enjoyed using Eastern brewing directions, allowing for multiple steeps. 

Ingredients: China, Tongmuguan, Wuyishan, Fujian Province black tea: 100%

How to Steep: Eastern: 1 gram per 30 ml water, 185 F; give a quick rinse, then begin with a 15-second steep; increase by 15 seconds with each infusion. Western: 2 grams per 6-8 oz. water, 185 F, 3 minutes

Fun Fact #1: Most smoked Zhengshan Xiaozhong (a.k.a. Lapsong Souchong)  on the market is made using cheap tea and artificial flavoring. This one is made using high-quality tea from Tongmuguan, Fujian, the birthplace of black tea. It has been carefully produced from real pinewood, in a smoke room where leaves are placed on trays, with the smoke rising through smoke holes from the floor. The pine smoke is carefully controlled to add a smokiness that enhances but does not cover up the tea's complex flavors.

Fun Fact #2: Zhengshan Xiaozhong ("original mountain small type/leaf") is the heir to the very first black tea created, dating back to the 1550's. The name sounds strikingly familiar to Lapsong Souchong, the name traditionally preferred in the West for a smoked black tea. 

Similar Teas:  Russian Caravan, Jenkins Blend, Zhengshan Xiaozhong Lychee Sweet Black, Keemun Single Malt, Black Magnolia, Dajinzhen Honey Forest Black