Lapsang Souchong
Produced for centuries, the uniqueness of this famous black tea is the deep and lasting smoky aroma. A pine smoked tea that has absorbed the scent during the drying process, resulting in a rich and distinctive smooth malty finish.
Experience the legendary tea that has captivated tea lovers for generations. Our Lapsang Souchong showcases the ancient Chinese art of pine smoking, where carefully selected Souchong leaves are transformed through traditional methods into something truly extraordinary. The tart smoke of Chinese pine tree root gives this traditional variety its delicate taste that perfectly balances boldness with refinement.
Why You'll Love It
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Exceptional Quality: "The best Lapsang Souchong I've ever tasted" - customer favourite
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Authentic Character: Deep, lasting smoky aroma with smooth, balanced flavour profile
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Multiple Steepings: Can be steeped multiple times without becoming bitter
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Perfect for Cold Weather: Warming and comforting during chilly mornings and afternoons
Origins & Character
Authentic Process: When plucking this tea, not the youngest leaves and bud are taken, but the Souchong leaf - riper, larger leaves from the lower parts of the tea bushes, ensuring the perfect foundation for smoking.
Time-Honoured Method: After fermentation, leaves are roasted on hot iron pans, then carefully smoked over pine woods rich in resin. The smoking time is determined specifically for optimal flavour development.
Distinctive Leaf: Large, open, slightly greyish to black leaf with a strong note of smoke - the hallmark of quality Lapsang Souchong.
Functional & Wellness Benefits
Beautiful Infusion: Brews to a light brown liquor that's both spicy and delicate, creating a perfect balance of intensity and refinement.
Flavour Journey: The taste is smoky and spicy with that distinctive smooth malty finish that has made this tea famous worldwide. The tart smoke of Chinese pine tree root provides the delicate taste that sets authentic Lapsang Souchong apart.
Aromatic Experience: The deep and lasting smoky aroma fills the senses from the moment you open the package, transporting you to the misty mountains of China where this tea originated.
Best Enjoyed: Perfect for morning and afternoon, especially during cold weather when its warming, smoky character provides the ultimate comfort. Best savoured on its own to fully appreciate the unique pine-smoked complexity.
Lapsang Souchong - where ancient Chinese tradition meets modern tea appreciation in every distinctive, smoky cup.
Tea bag packaging material
There are generally 3 main types of tea bags: Pyramid shaped tea bags made from PLA – Polylactic Acid (t leaf T only uses this type), old style paper tea bags (usually rectangular and heat sealed), Pyramid shaped tea bags, made from nylon.
PLA tea bags – used by t leaf T – commercially compostable and 100% non-gmo
PLA teabags have been around since the mid 2000’s and they are 100% Plant based (non-petroleum based) and our NeoSoilon® Pyramid Tea bags are derived from sugar cane.
PLA (polylactic acid) is mainly extracted from corn or sugar cane and is then spun into thread which is used to weave the clear material that is used in t leaf T’s teabags.
PLA behaves like a plastic, even though it is plant based, this enables the sealing of the tea bags using ultrasonic vibrations that effectively welds the seams together at a specific temperature without the need of petro-chemical based plastics.
PLA tea bags are 100% INDUSTRIAL or COMMERCIALLY COMPOSTABLE -100% NON-GMO
At t leaf T we would love our PLA tea bags to be easily home compostable, but the technology is not there yet. The technology currently exists to achieve home compostability, however it has the tea bag material breaking down in in a matter of weeks so this material would not be a practical option for a long shelf-life like product like tea.
Old Style Paper Tea Bags
Paper tea bags have been around for almost 100 years. They Require heat sealing to close the tea bag because the paper fibres do not naturally adhere to each other. To be able to seal the tea bags, petro-based nano plastics are blended into the tea bag material by the material manufacturers, about 2 % of the teabag, so that when heat and pressure are applied it melts the plastic and the teabag can be sealed.
So, most paper tea bags contain approximately 98% paper fibre, that will break down in home composting, BUT 2% of the teabag is petro-based nano plastics that are not compostable or biodegradable. Not an option for us here at t leaf T.
Nylon Pyramid Shaped Tea Bags
The nylon tea bag material has been around since around 1996 as the PLA technology did not exist at the time. The pyramid tea bags look nice, but the material is entirely a petro-based plastic. The cost of Nylon is substantially cheaper than PLA so low cost driven produces will mostly opt for nylon because of the price.
Nylon is not compostable, or biodegradable so will be around for hundreds of years. Again, not an option for us at t leaf T!
In summary
No teabag solution is perfect but at t leaf T we believe that the PLA material we are using is the most sustainable solution currently for, convenience based, teabags. Every tea we sell is also available in loose leaf and is a better environmentally friendly and sustainable option.
