Lapsang

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A variety of black tea originating from China, recognized for its intense smoky flavor derived from drying over pine wood
2. This distinct tea is noted for its robust aroma and is primarily produced in China’s Fujian region
3. A type of black tea known for its strong smoky fragrance, traditionally processed by drying over pine wood

Etymology: Lapsang is a clipped form of "lapsang souchong," a smoky black tea whose name comes from Cantonese. The full name is written 立山小種 in Chinese characters and pronounced "laap6 saan1 siu2 zung2" in Cantonese. Its literal sense is roughly "Mt. Li sub-variety," with "Li" (or "Lapu") naming the mountain region in Fujian province where the tea originated, and "souchong" (小種, "small variety") marking it as a particular grade or type of tea. The distinctive smoke flavour comes from the leaves being dried over pine wood fires, a process that gives the tea its characteristic taste. Because the name is a set of Cantonese syllables describing a place and a type of leaf, the English word preserves little of its original sense, and most speakers meet it only as a single short term for the smoky tea.