Lapsang Souchong and smoked teas: from the lightest to the boldest

Lapsang, souchong: what do these two words mean?

Lapsang Souchong comes from the village of Tongmu, in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, in south-east China. Its origins are traced back to the 17th century. Its black tea leaves are dried over a pinewood fire, whose smoke permeates them and leaves woody, resinous notes. At Mariage Frères, this tea bears the name Lapsang Chinbara. How smoked teas are made is summarised in our smoked tea collection.

The name reads in two parts. In the local dialect, “lapsang” refers to pinewood. “Souchong”, for its part, denotes a grade of tea leaf, not the smoking. Imperial Souchong shows this well: its product page states that this fine black tea from Hunan is not smoked. It offers floral notes and a smooth liquor, without astringency, and is drunk plain. China's other black teas are presented in our guide to the great styles of black tea.

Our smoked teas compared, in one table

The table runs from the most restrained smoked tea in our selection, Feu de Thé, to the boldest, Lu Yu. Their product pages all give the same intensity, 5 out of 5: the order therefore follows the way each page describes its smoke, and what accompanies it (wood, flower, citrus). The brewing settings and milk advice are those of the product pages, to be followed as given.

Feu de Thé, Empereur Chen-Nung, Roi-Soleil: the gentlest smoke

Feu de Thé is the most restrained of the Mariage Frères smoked teas. Its product page describes it as a blend of black tea and smoked tea, with a very lightly smoky taste: the smoke remains a nuance behind the roundness and frank tannins of the black tea. It is drunk plain or with a dash of milk, alongside a savoury breakfast, scrambled eggs or smoked salmon.

Empereur Chen-Nung, a smoked black tea from China, bears the name of the emperor to whom legend attributes the discovery of tea. Its product page speaks of a gentle, balanced smokiness, over a round, amber liquor where the woody notes let the tea express itself. It is drunk without milk, to keep the smoke clean, with brunch or a plate of charcuterie. It is also available in a box of 30 cotton muslin tea sachets.

Roi-Soleil combines golden Yunnan teas, a subtly smoked black tea and green tea tips. The smoke remains discreet, carried by the roundness of the Yunnan. Its product page suggests it plain or with a dash of milk, with roast poultry or mushrooms, and notes that it lends itself to cold brewing; the method is explained in our guide to homemade iced tea.

Black Léopard and Gengis Khan: another idea of smoke

Black Léopard comes from Malawi, from a family plantation at an altitude of 1,150 m. Its leaves are smoked with the leaves of the guava trees that grow on the plantation. Its product page describes a smoke softer and fruitier than that of resinous woods, with notes of nougat, dates and marron glacé. It is drunk plain, without milk, hot or iced, and steeps for 4 minutes instead of 5.

Gengis Khan combines a smoked blend, jasmine flowers and silver tips, the buds that soften the leaf. Its product page calls it lightly smoked: the woody smoke comes first, then the jasmine brightens the cup. It is drunk plain, during the day, with a savoury dish or a mature cheese. It bridges two families, jasmine teas and smoked teas.

Lapsang Chinbara: the Lapsang Souchong of China

Lapsang Chinbara is the Mariage Frères Lapsang Souchong: a black tea from Fujian, smoked over a wood fire in the traditional way. The house notes that authentic Chinese Lapsang Souchong has become almost impossible to find. Its product page describes a woody, resinous smoke that envelops the tea without overpowering it, the sweetness of a Chinese black tea beneath the smoke and a long, dry finish.

It is at home at the table, with savoury dishes: scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, goat's cheese or mature cheese, grilled meat. It is drunk plain or with a dash of milk, which rounds out its smoke. It is available as loose leaf, in a 100 g tea tin and in a box of 30 cotton muslin tea sachets. For pairings with a festive meal, see our guide tea and Christmas dinner.

The same smoke can also be tasted by the spoonful. Mariage Frères jars Tarry Souchong, a smoked black tea of bold character, in its Tarry Souchong tea jelly: cooked in a copper pan, it accompanies mature cheeses, cold meats or toast, and the breakfast of lovers of pronounced flavours.

Smoky Earl Grey and Lu Yu: smoke and bergamot

Smoky Earl Grey brings together a smoked black tea and a bergamot-scented black tea. Its product page gives it a very pronounced aroma: the smoke opens, frank, then the citrus cuts through it. It is drunk plain, without milk, with savoury rather than sweet food: eggs, smoked salmon, mature cheese. For bergamot and the other versions of this scented tea, see our guide to Earl Grey.

Lu Yu bears the name of the Chinese sage who wrote the first treatise devoted to tea. It combines a heavily smoked tea and a robust bergamot-scented tea, and its product page describes it as smokier than Smoky Earl Grey: it is the boldest in our selection. It is drunk plain, without milk or sugar, with a savoury breakfast or brunch.

Which smoked tea to start with, and which with milk?

The choice depends on how much room you want to give the smoke, and on what accompanies it. Here are our pointers, drawn from each tea's product page.

• For a first cup: Feu de Thé, which its product page presents as the smoked tea for beginners, or Empereur Chen-Nung, with its gentle smokiness.
• To taste a Chinese Lapsang Souchong: Lapsang Chinbara.
• For a fruity smoke, without resin: Black Léopard.
• For a floral smoke: Gengis Khan, with jasmine.
• For bergamot lovers: Smoky Earl Grey, then Lu Yu, smokier still.
• With a dash of milk: Lapsang Chinbara, Feu de Thé and Roi-Soleil. The others are drunk plain.

How to prepare and store a smoked tea?

Our smoked teas are prepared like a black tea: 2.5 g of leaves per 200 ml of water at 95 °C. Their product pages give a steeping time of 5 minutes, except that of Black Léopard, 4 minutes. In cotton muslin tea sachets, Lapsang Chinbara and Empereur Chen-Nung are measured at one sachet per 200 ml. Guidance for the other tea families is gathered in our guide to steeping times and temperatures.

The product pages of these teas stress one point: their smoke readily passes to neighbouring leaves. Store each smoked tea in its own closed tin, away from other teas. To keep loose leaf tea, the Esprit Céladon range offers tea caddies, and Lapsang Chinbara is already available in a tea tin.