Tongmuguan Lapsang Souchong

Organic Lapsang Souchong Black Tea

This fair trade certified organic tea comes from Fujian Province in China. It is smoked during production, giving it a distinctive flavor and aroma, sometimes described as tar-like. It has a light body, smooth and crisp character, and a very prominent, exciting pine-smoke fragrance.

Legend has it that the smoking process of this magical organic black tea was discovered by accident. During the Qing Dynasty, an army passed through Xingcun and set up camp in a tea factory filled with freshly picked tea leaves waiting to be processed. When the soldiers left and the workers could return to the factory, they realized it was too late to dry the leaves in the usual way to make it to market on time. So, they lit a pine wood bonfire to speed up the drying. Not only did the tea reach the market in time, but the smoky pine flavor became a sensation too. Today, this organic tea from China is dried over smoky pine fires to absorb the smoky flavor. Lapsang Souchong is commonly enjoyed with sugar, milk, and/or lemon.

What Is Flower Tea?
Organic Tea from Jiangxi Province, China

Like non-floral teas, floral teas start with high-quality organic tea, but during production they are exposed to a special fragrance. As a result, the tea absorbs and retains the scent throughout its lifecycle. Some of the most famous floral teas are made with flowers such as jasmine, magnolia, and osmanthus. Others, like Lapsang Souchong, have more aromatic and smoky flavors. Floral teas are often confused with flavored teas (which is why we include them in the flavored tea category), but technically, they are unflavored. Sometimes, low-quality floral teas are imitated using flavorings — rest assured, you’ll never find those in our catalog.