Teas / red / Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (Unsmoked Lapsang)

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (Unsmoked Lapsang)
🇨🇳 China

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (Unsmoked Lapsang)

Zhèng Shān Xiǎo Zhǒng · 正山小种 (正山小種)

xiaozhong

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is, by tradition, the world's first black (red) tea — the original from Tongmu Village (Tongmu Guan) in the protected core of the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian. The original tea is unsmoked and naturally sweet — honey, sweet potato, and dried- longan notes from the local Wuyi cultivars. The pine-smoked Lapsang Souchong variant developed for the export market is a different processing track on the same Tongmu leaf. The unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong style has become increasingly popular in the Chinese domestic market since the early 2000s.

Quick facts

Region
Tongmu Pass
Harvest year
2024
Harvest season
spring

Brewing

Leaf
4.0 g / 100 ml
Water
90°C
Rinse
no
Gongfu steeps (s)
15, 25, 35, 50, 75
Western (min)
3.5

This is the *unsmoked* original. The smoked variant — pine-smoked Lapsang Souchong sold in Western markets — is a different processing track on the same Tongmu leaf.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
honey, sweet potato, dried longan
Flavor
honey, sweet potato, mineral, light dried fruit
Mouthfeel
smooth, full
Finish
long, sweet

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