I love the slightly sweet note to this tea with the full bodied smokiness, but absolutelty no astringency!
China Lapsang Souchong - Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong
The tea leaves are grown at elevations of 800 to 1500 metres and are surrounded by pinewood and bamboo forests. The area is home to the very last original wooden Lapsang factories producing the ‘True Big Leaves from the Mountains’ (Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong). The fresh leaves are exposed to sweet pine smoke at all stages of the process, so that the fragrance is aborbed into the leaves, making a subtle balance with the other flavours. This is authentic slightly sweet and slightly smoky Lapsang and is utterly different from the very tarry and sooty teas more commonly seen.
