Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Smoked Wuyi Black

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Cinnamon, Pine, Smoke, Chocolate, Fruity, Honey, Malt, Mineral, Sage, Toast, Earth, Forest Floor, Spicy, Sweet, Wood, Cedar, Cocoa, Cream, Floral, Vanilla, Caramel, Hay, Toffee
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Joshua Smith
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec 6 g 6 oz / 191 ml

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57 Tasting Notes View all

From Verdant Tea

Beautifully balanced, delicate and masterfully smoked, this exquisite Lapsang Souchong style smoked Wuyi black tea is one of the finest we’ve ever found. It is crafted with care by the Li family, growing their tea in the Wuyi mountains in Xing Village. The Li family devotes most of their harvest to fine Wuyi oolongs, honing the difficult craft of rolling and roasting, so it’s no wonder the floral and delicate qualities of fine oolong comes through in this Lapsang Souchong. Anyone who enjoys roasted oolong or chocolatey black teas will love this unique offering.

The aroma of the leaf has fresh pine sap and notes frankincense resin from the pine needle smoking process. Intriguingly, a nuanced saltiness comes through to compliment the woody aromas, much like the saltiness of fine Japanese incense. While many Lapsang Souchong teas assault the nose with their intensity, this tea offers a more mature and subtle experience.

The flavor is warm and cozy with chocolate and cream, and it’s aroma evokes a hot cedar sauna or wine-soaked oak barrels, aging in a wine cellar. Fruity dark floral notes shine in the aftertaste as marigold and sumac. These sweet and tart florals are actually strengthened by the light, delicate smokiness of the tea. The pine smoke flavors bring out the signature mineral notes of Wuyi tea, and push forward a beautiful hot chocolate taste that lingers on.

This tea steeps out for many infusions, yielding a refined and clean tea more vaporously musty than smokey, with the sweet and salty kick of brown sugar. We highly recommend trying this tea, as it opens up a whole new way of thinking about smoked teas, and offers a gorgeous perspective on the terroir of the Wuyi mountains.

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57 Tasting Notes

371 tasting notes

Brewed semi-Western style with a glass test tube steeper. Steeping times: 30, 15, 20, 40, 80.

Overall, this a complex ZSXZ. The dry leaf aroma smells like a small, controlled fire that has died out for a few minutes: a gentle smoke, different evergreens and needles burned together. In contrast, the wet leaf aroma is heavy with gray smoke and charred wood. My favorite: The aroma rising from the steeper after I have poured out the liquor is honey-glazed Christmas ham.

The liquor is dark amber in color, clear, and full-bodied. The first infusion resembles inhaling enough smoke that you can taste it and it sticks to your nostrils. A second, shorter steeping – and the subsequent infusions – are still smoky (of course) but much lighter, with a cedar note and cooked meat aftertaste. I could swear I had finished eating BBQ’d pork. Sweeter and sweeter it becomes. A note of maple syrup emerges. The sessions ends with equal smoke and maple syrup.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 g 6 OZ / 177 ML

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987 tasting notes

Backlog from last night – another tea from the GCTTB4

I had 2 steeps of this last night, and there’s still a smidgen of leaf left for others further down the lineup of the box.

The taste of this was actually quite similar to the hei cha I had yesterday morning from Tao Tea Leaf. It was a very earthy sort of flavour, and although I could taste smoke, the smoke was not the predominant flavour.

The second steep was similarly earthy, but I got a hint of sweetness like pine sap or eucalyptus at the back of my mouth.

This was decent, and I know Verdant is one of Steepster’s darlings, but I didn’t ring my bell compared to some of the other teas I’ve tried. It was a nice way to relax and focus in the evening, though.

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75
661 tasting notes

Tried this tea this morning. It’s such an “out there” tea for me since I normally drink the lighter teas. I did try one lapsang souchong that I enjoyed before so I thought I would give it a try.

I got sweet, smokey, leathery & tobacco. Smokey is good but leathery and tobacco are not flavours I would search for in a tea. However in this case it really worked good together. I did enjoy this tea but wouldn’t add to my cabinet unless it was only sample size.for that odd ball time I would have it.

Sil

this + maple syrup = happy times!

Ubacat

I have maple syrup! However, there’s only one small sample left of this tea so I’m leaving it for someone else to try.

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1430 tasting notes

Smokey incense wafts through living pine. While casually sipping away at warm vanilla cocoa, one strolls through this fertile, pungent evergreen forest, salty sweat on their brow. Yes, I know they are sweating on a slow walk. This individual is clearly out of shape and it’s hot out. Maybe the latter is connected to the smokiness. Who knows (place inquiries with the tea).

So I’m terrible at conveying how easily this tea sweeps me up in daydream and picturesque fancies, but I had to try. It’s a delicious tea, reminiscent Whispering Pine’s indulgent Port.

I know some will find more dirt along the path than chocolate, and may even view the smoke as an indicator of a giant forest fire. For me, it hits all the sweet spots.

Flavors: Cedar, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Cream, Floral, Pine, Smoke, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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652 tasting notes

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @95C, steeped four minutes 30 seconds.

Dry leaf smells of rocks, pine, woodsmoke, salt, cream, and something sweet. The smoke does not overpower. Leave are long, dark, and twisted (like my favourite stories).

Wet leaf remains twisted, if less so, and smelling more of minerals than anything else.

Liquor is bronze with some down.

Smoke, yes, but a gentle smoke, with lots of China black tea characteristics coming through. There’s an elusive taste of cream, too. Plenty of sweet mineral notes. I know thi sis a smoked black tea, but it behaves much more like a dark sweet oolong.

This is really frigging good.

mrs.stenhouse12

I just ordered one of the two remaining packages of this because of your review :D it sounds like such an enticing tea!

Michelle Butler Hallett

I’m kicking myself than I only ordered one ounce and not two. I’d been looking at it for a while but couldn’t afford a Verdant order til a few weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Michelle Butler Hallett

I adore a good lapsang souchong. Lots of tarry and bitter impostors out there … this isn’t one. The only smoky tea I’ve tried that’s come close to being this good is Damn Fine’s Caravan and Caravan resurrected.

mrs.stenhouse12

I own DFs Caravan and haven’t tried it yet! Know what I’m doing tomo…lol

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100
121 tasting notes

I got sent this in the Verdant TotM club a while ago and, I confess, I was seriously reluctant to try it. I’ve only ever tried one Lapsang Souchong before – it was a cheap bagged variety and, the way it was brewed, it totally overwhelmed me. It just was not for me. Even though I knew the quality of this would be FAR superior, the memory of that other tea just would not let me try this one…

I read a review from Sil, talking about brewing this Gong Fu, and it sounded awesome… It just kept playing on my mind… And then last night, the cravings defeated me and I set this tea as my Monday-morning treat. When I opened the bag of leaves, the smell almost made me regret my choice – I felt nauseous immediately. Still, all of those reviews couldn’t be wrong, surely?? Well…

My goodness. What a tea.

This has got to be one of the most incredible black teas I’ve ever tried. It’s sweet, it’s rich, and it is sooooo fragrant. But in a totally good way. In the liquor, the smokiness is a rich-yet-mild fragrance that makes a perfect background to the sweet vanilla notes. I enjoyed a good 8 or 9 steeps (3 in the morning and 5-6 tonight).

’nuff said.

Flavors: Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec
DeliriumsFrogs

I’m afraid of smoke sometimes (although I really love Butiki’s Coffee and Cigarettes)… your review makes me think I would love this. :))

Sil

YAY! super glad you enjoyed it

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86
806 tasting notes

If you like naked black teas than this is good one.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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10 tasting notes

I’m still figuring this tea out. I’ve had 5 sessions with it and still cant fully grasp it.
I just cant get this one flavor out of my mind when i drink it…..

Mint Skoal chewing tobacco. :-S

Hope i didnt ruin this tea for anyone. haha

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90
1271 tasting notes

ZSXZSW black tea was nicely sweet and smooth. Even though moderately smokey (bit of charcoal, pine, sandalwood incense), the tea is still smooth. There are also cedar notes early on. Later infusions ZSXZSW black tea smokey wanes and becomes chocolaty with a hint of floral in the background. A great tea to experience a gong fu journey with!

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-smoked-wuyi-black-tea/ bonus cute tea owl in tea cup!

Preparation
Boiling
Mikumofu

What an adorable owl! This is among my favorites in smoky teas.

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97
6105 tasting notes

You know, I’m not entirely sure I consider this tea a 97 anymore… I remember it being good, but I never really reach for it, because it’s generally a bit much for what I want. I’ll leave it for now, at least until I have another hot cup of it, in case I’m misremembering.

Anyhow, iced this tea as well today as I thought it would be a good way to use it up (this is again along the theme of this tea being good but not a favourite). I was hoping the smokiness would be tamed a bit more, and I’d end up with more roasty chocolate goodness. Turns out I was right, and I did enjoy this iced, though not as much as Plum Rooster, and the smokiness comes right back once it warms up at all. Not that it’s terribly smoky, but sometimes that’s just not what you want.

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