A modern unsmoked classic from the heart of the Wuyi Mountains
In the protected forests of Tongmu, deep inside the Wuyi National Nature Reserve, the village that gave the world Lapsang Souchong is quietly redefining its legacy. Here, a fourth-generation tea family has spent a decade perfecting an unsmoked Zhèng Shān Xiǎo Zhǒng — a tea that honours the pure character of the leaf, free from the pinewood smoke that once defined the style. This lot was selected in Tongmu in spring 2025, from pickings of one bud and two leaves from bushes growing on misty hillsides at 1,000 metres. The process is restrained: a slow indoor wither, careful oxidation until the leaves blush to copper, a gentle roll, and a final charcoal drying — never touching a pine fire. What emerges is a black tea of remarkable clarity. The classic Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong honey-and-pine signature remains, but as a whisper rather than a shout. Next to the powerful smoked teas, this unsmoked version is a revelation — technical, transparent, and graceful. It is a tea that asks you to slow down and pay attention.