BLACK TEA | Loose Leaf Organic Lapsang Souchong
Lapsang Souchong at a Glance
Our loose leaf Lapsang Souchong is a certified organic black tea from Fujian, China, made with one ingredient: organic black tea. It is medium in caffeine, with a smoky, pine and campfire flavour that suits cold evenings, an after-dinner cup or savoury food. Each 50 g bag makes about 25 cups, or about 50 if you steep the leaves a second time. It is vegan and vegetarian.
Lapsang Souchong Tasting Notes
The first thing you'll notice is the aroma of sweet pine resin and oak wood smoke, like a campfire. It brews into a deep reddish-amber cup that is smoky and smooth, with a crisp edge and a mellow, warming feel. The finish is clean, with a light smoke that lingers. In the cup, the smoke settles into something more subtle than the dry leaf, but it is unmistakable. People tend to love it or find it is not for them, and many say the more they drink it, the more they like it.
Pairs With
Sharp cheese, dark chocolate and hearty savoury food.
How Many Cups of Lapsang Souchong?
Based on 2 g of loose leaf tea per 8oz / 240 ml cup. Re-steep the same leaves for the second cup.
Size | Cups with One Steep | Cups with Two Steeps |
|---|---|---|
50 g | 25 | 50 |
100 g | 50 | 100 |
150 g | 75 | 150 |
200 g | 100 | 200 |
250 g | 125 | 250 |
How Lapsang Souchong Gets Its Smoke
Lapsang Souchong is often called the first black tea. The best-known story is set in the 1600s in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, where a passing army disrupted work at a tea factory. With the harvest at risk, the workers dried the leaves over pine fires to catch up, and the smoky tea drew excited buyers. Today the thick leaves are still withered over burning pine boughs, then left to oxidize in cloth-covered barrels. The smoke comes from the fire, so this tea is 100% natural. In China it is called Zhengshan Xiaozhong.
About the Fujian Region
Fujian is on China's southeast coast, and its Wuyi Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are where Lapsang Souchong began. The traditional tea gardens sit high in the hills, where temperatures are lower, and the region is known for fine black and oolong teas. This tea is grown at 450 to 1,500 m (1,500 to 4,900 ft) above sea level.
Frequently Bought Together
How to Brew Lapsang Souchong
- Tea: 1 teaspoon (about 2 g) of loose leaf tea per 8oz / 240 ml cup.
- Water temperature: 100°C / 212°F, freshly boiled.
- Steep time: 2 to 4 minutes. Lapsang can overwhelm if over-steeped, so start short and go longer for a bolder cup.
- Second steep: Re-use the same leaves and steep a little longer.
- Serving: Add milk and sugar to taste. Lemon works too.
- Iced: Use half the water (120 ml) when brewing. Pour the hot tea directly over a large cup filled with ice. As the ice melts, it will dilute the tea to the perfect strength.
- Iced: use half the usual water at 90°C, steep 3 to 4 minutes, then pour over a glass of ice. Add honey or any sweetener if you like.
Drink Better. Change Lives.
GROSCHE takes pride in being a carbon-neutral and family owned Certified B Corporation that cares about social and environmental responsibility. And thanks to loyal customers like you, together we're making a difference.
When you buy a GROSCHE product you're funding 50+ days of safe drinking water for someone in need through the GROSCHE Safe Water Project. Thus far, the GROSCHE Safe Water Project has funded over 4000 Biosand water filters and 400 million days of safe drinking water for people in communities across 6 different countries.
And it wouldn't be possible without you.