Lapsang Souchong was born in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian: a black tea leaf dried over a wood fire, which the smoke permeates. Mariage Frères notes that the authentic Lapsang Souchong from China has become almost impossible to find today, and it is this one, smoked over wood fire in the purest tradition, that the house offers under the name Lapsang Chinbara. The house file classifies it among its Jardins Premiers.

The leaf is dark and supple, and when dry it gives off an aroma of burnt wood and resin that leaves no one indifferent. Beneath the smoke, it keeps the sweetness of a Chinese black tea.

The liquor has golden glints and, the house says, gives off lightly smoky and pleasantly woody notes; the nuance matters. This is far from the heavy, tarry Lapsangs: the smoke wraps around the tea without crushing it, and behind it one finds a resinous sweetness and a dry, long, almost saline finish. Those who fear smoked teas will find a restrained version here; enthusiasts will find a quality leaf.

It is drunk during the day and especially at table, where it pairs with savoury dishes: scrambled eggs at brunch, smoked salmon, goat's or aged cheese, grilled meat. It also surprises with dark chocolate. Plain, or with a cloud of milk that rounds the smoke; iced, it accompanies a grilled summer dish.

Allow 2.5 g of leaves per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of steeping, or one muslin sachet per 200 ml. Lapsang Chinbara is available loose leaf, weighed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from a 5 g sample to a kilo, in a box of 30 round cotton muslin tea sachets of 75 g net, and in an airtight black metal tin of 100 g, presented in its gift box. Whatever the format, keep it apart from other teas: the smoke readily passes to neighbouring leaves.