Lapsang Souchong Organic

The story of Lapsang Souchong begins in 1646, in the Tong Mu village of China's Wuyi Mountains, long before the notion of black tea had reached the West. As Qing soldiers advanced through the region, villagers hurried to hide their leaves; by the time they could return to work, the tea had oxidised well past the greens they usually produced. To rescue the crop, they dried it quickly over freshly cut Chinese red pine, and unknowingly created the world's first fully oxidised black tea. What began as a rescue became a tradition: European traders, once introduced to this smoke-kissed leaf, could not get enough of it.

Nearly four centuries on, Tong Mu remains the birthplace and heart of authentic Lapsang Souchong, known in China as Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, or "true mountain small variety." Since 2020, the name has been formally protected as a geographical indication under the China-EU trade agreement, distinguishing genuine Wuyi-grown tea from the many imitations produced elsewhere. This is the real thing, grown and smoked in the traditional way, and certified organic by Ecocert Canada.

Fragrant and woodsy, the cup offers clear notes of licorice and comforting peaty accents. The smoke sits close to the leaf: assertive without ever being harsh, deep without turning heavy. It's an intense tea that rewards slow drinking, and equally at home in the kitchen, where it lends a beautiful smoke to savoury reductions, marinades, and cured salmon.