No longer hidden by smoke, the original character of this magical tea is revealed. A honey-like tea with a lightly fruity character, like sweet nectar, this tea boasts a long lingering finish.
 
The original black tea (or ‘hong cha’ - “red tea” in Chinese) is known in English as Lapsang Souchong.  Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (as it is called in Mandarin) started out as an accident: tea leaves intended for use as Green Tea were allowed to oxidize, turning orange and brown. The tea farmers worried they had ruined the tea, so they smoked the leaves over pine wood to mask the oxidized flavor.  It was rejected by the locals, but proved a big hit with foreigners.
 
Eventually, the popularity of Black Tea made its way back to China, and the tea farmers of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian have begun producing non-smoked Xiao Zhong, like our Hummingbird.