Organic Bohea Lapsang Black Tea Bags

It seems strange to receive a JING product housed in a tea bag. The familiar mesh is something I immediately associate with inferior tea, yet the JING name is something I immediately associate with impeccable quality. Alas, I must give it a try. I fully enjoyed this tea prior to reading about it in-depth, and upon doing so I discovered that "Bohea" Lapsang has a certain distinction among connoisseurs similar to that of a fine whiskey -- I certainly can understand the level of detail that goes into creating a beautiful Lapsang, as the quality of pine wood for smoking, as well as level of smoke (quantity, range, placement of leaves, amount of time smoked, etc) all play important factors -- leave any of these to mass production and you have a recipe for mediocrity. Pay close attention to detail in small hand-made batches, and you craft a work of art in the cup. Do also note that it is certified organic.

JING's tea bags come individually sealed in labeled plastic, and are of the fine mesh type. In the bag, the Lapsang leaves appear mid-sized, broken, yet decent quality. The aroma is wonderful - a familiar smoky earthen scent of Lapsang permeates the senses.

JING recommends a 2-3 minute steeping so as not to present "too strong a taste" - a common error in brewing Lapsang. In full agreement with this philosophy, I begin with a 2 minute brew. The liquor is deep burnt-sienna, and the aroma in the cup is even more enticing than that of the dried leaf - an inviting yet not overpowering scent. The taste is remarkable - far superior to that of any Lapsang I have encountered to date. There is almost a creaminess to it, to accompany, complement and offset the smokiness inherent to the tea.

JING also recommends enjoying 2-3 infusions of this tea, as it is of such high quality so as to take well to multiple infusions. I opt for a second infusion at 3 full minutes, which turns out equally wonderful, full of just as much flavor and every bit as enjoyable.

As it should be, this tea hails from high in the WuYi Mountains in the Fujian province -- the true origin of Lapsang souchong tea. This tea does come in loose leaf form (no surprise) as well as in boxes of 100 tea bags.