Features of smoked tea, how is it made? The benefits and harms of brewing, the rules for preparing a drink. Interesting facts about Lapsang Souchong.
Smoked tea Lapsang Souchong or Lapsan Xiao Zhong is one of the most popular drinks in South China, brewing for which is made in a special way. Other names: smoky, smoked. Produced from large coarse leaves, belongs to the black varieties - in China they are called red. It is produced in Fujian province, on the plantations of the slopes of Zheng Shan mountain. Only there the original raw materials are grown. But since the demand is great, all teas made using a similar technology in neighboring areas are sold under this name. In China, each variety has its own special name, reflecting the place of growth - for example, Wai Shan Xiao Zhong and Lao Song Xiao Zhong, which translates as "small view from the Wai Shan mountain" and "Old pine".
How is smoked Lapsang Souchong tea made?
Tea plantations for the future drink with a delicate taste are planted in the mountains, at an altitude of over 1,000 meters above sea level. The collection of leaves for making Lapsang Souchong tea leaves is carried out in late summer or early autumn, when they become large, coarse, and fully ripen. The upper shoots are harvested. The starting material also includes almost opened buds.
The first drying is carried out directly on the plantation, on special stands under a canopy, on wooden boards. Then they are carefully rolled up and laid out in wide wicker baskets in which fermentation takes place.
Plain black tea matures in ricks. To speed up the process, some farmers place baskets next to an open fire - bonfires, but make sure that the heating temperature of the center of the pile does not exceed 35 ° C.
The next stage is fumigation with smoke. Once upon a time, complex bamboo structures were assembled for this, which had to be constantly changed, now two-tier stands are being welded. Baskets are set up on the second floor, and pine fires are made under them. Due to long-term treatment with smoke, the leaves of plants lose their natural odor and smell only of fire smoke and resin. The color of the leaves turns brown or red.
Then the finished product is shredded, if necessary, or immediately pre-sale preparation - packaging.
Real smoked Chinese tea cannot be cheap. The cheapness of infusions of this type is explained by the fact that for the manufacture of a surrogate, any tea leaf, without preliminary processing, is fumigated with the smoke of a fire. But this is not the worst thing either. In China, they learned how to make a tea surrogate, imparting a specific taste and aroma with the help of chemical flavors.
Those who have tasted real black smoked tea at least once cannot be fooled. They will immediately distinguish a fake. If a person treats himself for the first time, he will remain disappointed.
A drink made from low-quality raw materials tastes like a herring soaked in turpentine, rotten smoked fish or burnt rubber. But in this product you can feel a bouquet of prunes, pine needles and autumn pears.
Composition and calorie content of Lapsang Souchong tea
The calorie content of a drink made from smoked tea leaves does not differ from the nutritional value of ordinary black tea and is 2-3 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 0.2 g;
- Fat - 0.1 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0.2 g.
The properties of Lapsang Souchong tea are due to a complex of beneficial substances in the composition:
- Flavonoids that eliminate vascular and smooth muscle spasms.
- Tannins - thanks to these components, blood clotting increases, intestinal function improves. The content of these substances in the composition of smoked tea can be up to 14% relative to the main components.
- Caffeine - improves tone, improves brain function, speeds up reactions.
- Organic alkaloids - in large quantities they are toxins, but in small quantities they have a tonic and analgesic effect, accelerate blood circulation.
- Vitamins of group B, normalizing the work of the central nervous system.
- Provitamin A - has a beneficial effect on the visual organ.
- Amino acids, 24 types - are involved in all life processes: respiration, impulse transmission, hormone production, and others.
Also, the drink contains a small amount of calcium, which is responsible for the strength of bone and cartilage tissue, phosphorus, which distributes energy throughout the body, sodium, which normalizes the water-electrolyte balance, and magnesium, which stimulates the production of protein structures.
Knowing how to brew Lapsang Souchong can cleanse the liver of toxins and lose weight. Regular consumption of the drink stimulates the stratification of the fat layer, and thanks to its original taste and effect on the receptors of the oral mucosa, it helps to suppress the feeling of hunger. A few sips will skip the snack and your weight loss will come at an accelerated pace.
Benefits of Lapsang Souchong
Chinese healers have noticed that the medicinal properties of the tea leaves are enhanced when they are smoked. The beneficial properties of Lapsang Souchong are not limited to stimulating the metabolic process in the subcutaneous fat layer. The effect on the body is much broader:
- Actively cleanses the liver and dissolves cholesterol already deposited in the blood vessels. Possessing a mild diuretic effect, it removes calculi from the kidneys.
- Stimulates the production of digestive enzymes and bile acids, prevents the formation of stones.
- Cleans the intestines from toxins and toxins, speeds up metabolism.
- It has an antioxidant effect, isolates free radicals traveling in the intestinal lumen.
- Tones up, increases efficiency, improves memory properties and speeds up reactions.
- Stimulates peristalsis, prevents increased gas formation.
- Relaxes, relieves spasms, accelerates the healing of the oral mucosa with stomatitis and gingivitis. Accelerates recovery from pharyngitis and tonsillitis.
- Strengthens bone and dental tissue, prevents the development of osteochondrosis, periodontal disease and caries.
- Helps to recover from stress, excessive mental and physical exertion. Relaxes, helps to cope with depression.
- Reduces the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.
- Strengthens the body's defenses, has an immunomodulatory effect.
The properties of smoked tea depend on the brewing time. With an exposure of 3 minutes, the drink tones up and energizes, when infused for 5-6 minutes, it relaxes and eliminates insomnia.
After hypothermia, tea helps prevent colds: stop the development of complications, get rid of perspiration and sore throat, stop rhinitis.
Another very important property of Lapsang Souchong is an increase in potency. Thanks to its pronounced effect, this type of brew is considered "masculine". With regular use of high-quality properly brewed tea, the formation of adenoma stops, the quality of the sperm produced improves, and reproductive function is restored. In addition, endurance is increased.
Contraindications and harm of smoked tea
This rather unusual product causes allergic reactions more often than ordinary tea leaves. This is due to an unusual processing method. The smoke contains, albeit a small amount, carcinogens and combustion products. Therefore, pregnant and lactating women should refuse to use.
There is no need to teach preschool children to drink. The immune system is not yet fully developed, and when consuming Lapsang Souchong, there will be more harm than good. In addition, the taste is completely "not childish".
With caution, new tea is introduced into the diet for problems of the gastrointestinal tract, a symptom of which is a tendency to constipation, with hypertension, especially with frequent crises. You should not experiment with the diet for exacerbation of gastritis with high acidity, peptic ulcer or erosive damage to the oral cavity and esophagus.
Abuse with gallstone and urolithiasis can provoke the movement of stones, hepatic or renal colic. Healthy people are not recommended to drink more than 5 cups per day.
Side effects testify to individual intolerance: insomnia, vascular crises, dizziness, increased agitation, tachycardia and diarrhea. If 1-2 symptoms appear immediately after drinking tea, you will have to stop at a different type of drinks.
How to brew Lapsang Souchong smoky tea?
You can assess whether the drink is brewed correctly by the buttery aftertaste. A bouquet of red wine, cinnamon, chocolate and caramel remains in the mouth. The strong infusion adds a ginger-root prune flavor. The quality is also indicated by the color - rich scarlet or crimson with an amber hue.
Brewing recipes:
- Classic or in English … This requires a traditional ceramic or porcelain teapot. Calculation: 5 tsp. smoked tea leaves - 1 liter of water. The dishes are poured over with boiling water and again put to heat the water. The higher its temperature, the more nutrients are released into the drink. Pour the tea leaves into a kettle, pour boiling water over it and close immediately. Insist for at least 5 minutes. Under no circumstances should you remove the lid and stir. If you do this, you will not be able to get a rich aroma and exquisite taste.
- Chinese way … Used gongfu - glass teapot. A special filter is installed in it. In the modern version, it is a jug with a fixed lid and a built-in filter - a wire basket with fine holes. Thanks to such dishes, you can regulate the strength of the infusion and strain out the tea leaves. The dishes are also treated with boiling water, keeping the proportions for brewing. The first, fourth and fifth portions are soft and weak, but the second and third are thick, aromatic, with a rich taste, fully revealing their unique properties.
- Rinse tea leaves … Preparation for the infusion process is usual. But the first portion of water is immediately drained without insisting. In the future, the process is carried out in the usual way.
Tea lovers still have not decided exactly what kind of water to rinse the tea leaves - hot or cold. In the first case, the taste is milder after the first infusion; in the second, it is harder and sharper.
It goes well with barbecue, spicy grilled meat, smoked fish and basturma, spicy cheeses - goat or Cheddar. Milk, jam or honey are not in harmony with the "masculine" drink. It is permissible to supplement the tea-drinking with a lemon wedge.
Interesting facts about Lapsang Souchong tea
The technology of smoking tea leaves was obtained by accident, in the 17th century. According to legend, the emperor ordered a large batch of tea by a certain date, but due to the long rainy season, they did not have time to dry the collected leaf. So they accelerated the process - they placed the raw material with the beginning of fermentation over a fire of pine branches. The brew made according to the "new technology" pleased the emperor so much that the next time he ordered this particular variety.
Manufacturing methods have gradually improved. We designed racks, when installed on which baskets with leaves were evenly saturated with smoke, we determined how long additional processing was carried out.
In the taste of the brew, which was sold in Europe, one could feel additional notes - oak and salt, besides, the density and moisture content of the product were increased. This was due to the fact that tea was transported in the ship's holds. Now Lapsang Souchong tea is carefully packaged, and no foreign tastes appear.
You can buy a sheet product in cans or gift wrapping - foil cibics are put in boxes made of thick cardboard, which depict pagodas. A cheaper option is shredded tea leaves in regular packs or sachets.
Smoked tea brands: Newby, Nadin, Russian Tea Company, Twinings, Saint James.
In order to preserve the useful qualities in full, it is better to store the tea leaves in a linen bag, which was placed in a tightly closed tin or glass dish. She is removed to a cool place without access to light. The tea leaves absorb foreign odors and quickly lose their properties; therefore, it is not recommended to place it next to products.
If mold appears, an unpleasant musty smell, discoloration, smoked tea, no matter how expensive, will have to be thrown away. Frying and drying a spoiled product will not help reanimate.
How to brew Lapsang Souchong - watch the video:
