Lapsang Souchong

[mbanu]

Realized there wasn't a dedicated thread, so I thought I'd start one.

I've heard that the classic style is slowly going extinct, due to regulatory issues that make getting the proper wood for smoking within the traditional growing region difficult. Jin Jun Mei ensures that the tea-growers will do well, but some folks think it competes with Lapsang for the same bushes.

My personal favorite, Hu-Kwa, might not count, as it is a Taiwanese lapsang copy that developed during the U.S./China trade embargo to replace true Lapsang, and that remained in Taiwan after the embargo lifted.

I am also a fairly minor Lapsang enthusiast, as if I drink too much smoked tea I tend to feel a little queasy. I am not a smoker of other things, which probably reduces my smoke-tolerances.

Does anyone have any favorites? How do you brew it?

[Bok]

A good Lapsang shouldn’t have any smokiness… that is the misconception.

[Bok]

This is an article that is maybe of interest: https://anmo-art-cha.com/blogs/blog/tea ... part-three
Guess it sort of similar to some Puerh, a step that was once necessary, but is ultimately considered a fault by tea drinkers and let to rest until it subsides over time.

[Maerskian]

A good Lapsang shouldn’t have any smokiness… that is the misconception.

My thoughts exactly, was wondering if smoked versions were deemed as the truly traditional way to do it instead by reading the opening post .

[Balthazar]

My thoughts exactly, was wondering if smoked versions were deemed as the truly traditional way to do it instead by reading the opening post .

From the link shared by Bok:

A: Can you tell us a little about the history of Lapsang?

J: Lapsang is over 400 years old already. Yet the Lapsang we see in the market today only exists for less than 20 years: unsmoked Lapsang. For centuries, Lapsang was traditionally smoked with pine. This is still the case nowadays, but it is much rarer and most of the market is filled with unsmoked Lapsang as this is much more aromatic and flowery and therefore more popular among tea drinkers.

I like both smoked and unsmoked lapsang, but have found it difficult to find smoked lapsang of decent quality for many years now.

[.m.]

Smoked lapsang can be amazing. I've been once offered a cup of "top grade" one - absolutely beautiful tea, with a very subtle hint of smoke which added another layer of complexity in harmony with the tea.

[Ethan Kurland]

I like both smoked and unsmoked lapsang, but have found it difficult to find smoked lapsang of decent quality for many years now.

I am so sorry to read that, Balthazar. I thought the reason I have not enjoyed smoked lapsang souchong for years was because I had developed my palate taking me past such....

Hopefully we'll run across some great quality w/o needing to work at it. I don't miss superior L.S. but would not mind having a bit.

[Balthazar]

I am so sorry to read that, Balthazar. I thought the reason I have not enjoyed smoked lapsang souchong for years was because I had developed my palate taking me past such....

Hah, maybe it's actually nostalgia's "mental huigan" that's playing a trick on me

I no longer actively seek out smoked lapsang, but if I'm making an order from a vendor that carries it I might throw in a sample and hope for the best. In recent memory I've ordered from Lazy Cat (their "Yanxun Xiaozhong 2018"), White2Tea (a bunch of the lapsang offerings they carried last year) and Chawangshop (their "2019 Tong Mu Guan sample set" which featured a smoked and unsmoked version). I was underwhelmed by the first two, but positively surprised by CWS (ended up buying the last 400 grams he had in stock). I also remember liking the smoked "Original Lapsang Souchong" from Jing Tea Shop, but it's been five years since I had it (the same 2014 version that they still offer 25 gram samples of).

I agree with @.m., subtlety/balance/integration is key and that's where most of the smoked-to-death versions on the market fall short. Luckily I have Anhua heichas to fill most of my demands for this.

[tjkdubya]

If you want a reference point for "good" smoked xiaozhong aka Souchong, grab the top end stuff from either Junde or Zhengshantang, the two most well established Tongmu producers with history behind them, preferably with at least a year or two of resting. Not necessarily the best possible you can get but they set the standard.

[tjkdubya]

Lapsang Souchong whether smoked or not range in quality hugely, just like any other category of tea, whether it be yancha or a particular category of green, etc. and not much in general can be said when the market is flooded with mass produced stuff.

[Balthazar]

If you want a reference point for "good" smoked xiaozhong aka Souchong, grab the top end stuff from either Junde or Zhengshantang, the two most well established Tongmu producers with history behind them, preferably with at least a year or two of resting. Not necessarily the best possible you can get but they set the standard.

Thanks for the recommendations. Specific reference points such as this are really useful. Planning an order for when prices hopefully normalize after Single's Day. Might add something from Zhengshantang.

[faj]

If you want a reference point for "good" smoked xiaozhong aka Souchong, grab the top end stuff from either Junde or Zhengshantang

Sorry for the silly Westerner question, but are there easily available sources for these teas?

[LeoFox]

If you want a reference point for "good" smoked xiaozhong aka Souchong, grab the top end stuff from either Junde or Zhengshantang

Sorry for the silly Westerner question, but are there easily available sources for these teas?

https://lapsangstore.com/pages/lapsang-souchong

However...considering these prices, it is probably smarter to buy from DaXueJiaDao

[Balthazar]

Sorry for the silly Westerner question, but are there easily available sources for these teas?

Depending on your definition of "easily available", JD/Taobao/Tmall is an option (although it might be hard to find anything with a bit of age - I haven't browsed).

E.g. Zhengshantang's JD store

[tjkdubya]

For example:

https://m.tb.cn/h.ff5gB4R?sm=8a8f77十202 ... 装野生红茶散装50g

Yes, browse through the Taobao of a producer like Zhengshantang. Above is an example of one of their nicer stuff, running $1.50+/g. And of course they produce a ton of cheap stuff as well.

Like I said, it's a huge range, and you can try to sort through and generalize about different brackets of tea, but quite impossible to do that about the entire category as a whole.