1919 Zhivago Lapsang Souchong
1919 Zhivago Lapsang Souchong
A delicious premium lapsang souchong with a captivating heady bouquet and a delicious pine fire finish.
INGREDIENTS: Luxury #1 Lapsang Souchong
HEALTH PROPERTIES: High in anti-oxidants
ETHICS: Ethical Tea Partnership & GMO Free
GRADE: Golden Tippy Orange Pekoe (GTOP)
CAFFEINE LEVELS: Medium
TEA SOURCING: China, Fujian Province - Xingchun region
THE STORY OF 1919 ZHIVAGO LAPSANG SOUCHONG
Boris Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1958 for his novel Dr. Zhivago. Sadly, he was forced to turn the award down by the Soviet Government. The story centers around Doctor Yurii Andreievich Zhivago who goes to work as a medic in 1919, right in the middle of the Russian Revolution and Civil War.
Lapsang Souchong is produced in Fujian province in China. The process begins with freshly picked tea that is withered over pine or cedar fires, pan-fired, and then rolled by hand. Once rolled, the leaves are pressed into wooden barrels and covered with cloth and allowed to ferment until they begin to emit a pleasant aroma. Once fermented, the leaves are rolled again into tight strips and then placed in bamboo baskets which are hung over burning pine boughs. As the leaves dry, they further develop their smoky flavor. The Lapsang process results in a tea with leaves that are thick, black, and glossy.
The result in a very strong, assertive cup - just the type of tea favored by the Russians. To the uninitiated, the intensely smoky taste of Lapsang Souchong may be an acquired taste in the same way that Scotch or fine cigars are. We can well imagine Boris Pasternak quietly penning his groundbreaking novel while sipping pot after pot of this wonderful tea. This tea can be enjoyed on its own although some may prefer it with a dash of milk and sugar to help expand the unique smoky flavor profile.
BREWING INSTRUCTIONS
BREWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOT TEA: Infuse one slightly heaping teaspoon for each 8 ounce cup with boiling water for 3-7 minutes.
Infuse 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of tea with 1 1/4 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water, and add the infused tea, straining the leaves, to the pitcher. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Add lemon and sweeten to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.
Infuse 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea with 6 ounces of boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the tea to a 12 ounce glass, filled with ice, straining the leaves. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags. Add lemon and sweeten to taste.
NUMBER OF CUPS: 15-20 cups from each 50 grams of tea, with a single use of the leaves. Loose leaf tea is traditionally infused 3 times, with a different flavor profile following each infusion. Accordingly, each 50 gram bag can make up to 60 cups of tea.