Lapsang Souchong Tea Bags

Traditional Lapsang Souchong tea bags have the most amazing flavour, bursting with smooth oak and smoky pine notes. We use exactly the same leaf tea as our loose tea version in all our pyramid tea bags, so you get the same superb taste experience, just in measured amounts, perfect for one cup of tea.

Chinese Lapsang Souchong

The Fujian Province of China, in the Xingchun region of China, is where this traditional Lapsang Souchong is grown between 1500 - 4900 feet above sea level. A smoked black tea, the finished tea leaves are known for their distinctive, smoky flavour and amazing aroma. To achieve Lapsang's characteristic flavour, the tea makers follow a production process that has remained the same for years:

1. Orthodox Plucking: 'Souchong' in the Fukienese language means sub-variety and refers to older, more mature, small leaf tea bushes. Early May is recognised as the best time to pluck the selected leaves.
2. Withering: There are more rainy days than sunny days during the tea-making season, so the withering of the leaves generally takes place indoors.
3. Rolling: Initially, the leaves are manually rolled to press the leaves together before rolling machines take over the process.
4. Fermentation: After rolling, the leaves are packed into bamboo baskets and covered with thick cloths, allowing the leaves natural enzymes to begin to ferment. The green leaves change colour to yellow-red until they begin to give off a pleasant fragrance.
5. Pan Frying: Pan frying is normally used when making green teas, so this is a unique stage for making souchong black tea. The fermented leaves are pan-fired to inactivate the enzymes and maintain the sweetness, colour, and strong taste of the leaves.
6. Re-Rolling: After pan-frying, the leaves are rolled again into tight strips.
7. Smoking: The rolled leaves are placed on large bamboo seives and hung over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the unique, smoky aroma. The finished leaves are thick and glossy, with the amazing aroma we recognise as Lapsang Souchong tea.

Lapsang Is Also Available In Loose Leaf