Ma Su Old Bush Lapsang Souchong 麻粟老枞小种 (2024)
Tea Profile
Type: Black Tea (Zhengshan Xiaozhong 正山小种 / Lapsang Souchong)
Location: Ma Su Village 麻粟村, Tongmu Guan 桐木关, Wuyishan, Fujian Province
Altitude: Around 1000 m
Harvest Date: May 16, 2024
Cultivar: Cai Cha 菜茶 (over 100 years old, known as Bai Nian Lao Cong 百年老枞)
The Story of This Tea
Ma Su Village lies deep within Tongmu Guan, the birthplace of Lapsang Souchong, high in the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve. Tongmu Guan sits at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, surrounded by dense forests and mist-shrouded valleys. With an average altitude of 1000 meters, its warm, humid, and cloud-covered climate provides the perfect conditions for slow, rich leaf development.
Ma Su is one of twelve historic Tongmu tea villages, alongside Guanping, Miaowan, and Guwankeng. The old Cai Cha bushes here are over a century old, thriving in mineral-rich soil and pure mountain air. Due to the high altitude, spring picking occurs later than in lower areas, usually in mid-May. Unlike more aromatic Qizhong cultivars, Cai Cha from old bushes is known for its full body, woody depth, and exceptional endurance.
This 2024 harvest was produced from Ma Su’s high mountain fields. The highest elevation within Tongmu Guan. The liquor is sweet, thick, and full of life. A pleasant herbal bitterness appears in the throat, followed by a cooling and sweet sensation known as dun hou (遁喉). This rare quality is unique to Ma Su tea and highly prized among Tongmu drinkers. The sweetness resembles fresh sugarcane water, cooling and smooth. The tea combines floral and honey fragrance with mountain strength and clean energy. A perfect reflection of Ma Su’s terroir.
Aroma and Flavour
The old-bush Cai Cha material gives this tea its deep and layered character. The aroma balances wild honey, gentle florals, and aged wood. The taste opens with sweet richness, followed by a slight herbal bitterness that quickly transforms into cooling, refreshing sweetness in the throat. The mouthfeel is thick and silky, leaving a cooling sensation long after drinking.
- Aroma: Floral honey, mountain freshness, and light woody depth
- Flavor: Sweet and rich with a pleasant herbal bitterness that transforms into cool sweetness
- Texture: Thick, smooth, and full-bodied
- Aftertaste: Long, cooling sweetness with the signature dun hou effect
- Steeping Endurance: 8–10 infusions with stable body and sweetness
Brewing Guidelines
Gong Fu Style
- Teaware: Hongni 红泥 or Duanni 段泥 Yixing teapot to enrich sweetness, or porcelain gaiwan for clarity
- Ratio: 6–7 g per 100 ml water
- Water: 95–100 °C spring water
- Infusions: Rinse once, then brew 8–10 times, lengthening steeping time gradually
Western Style
- Teaware: Porcelain or glass teapot
- Ratio: 3–4 g per 250 ml water
- Water: 95 °C
- Steeping: 2–3 minutes for the first infusion. Resteep 2–3 times, extending time slightly
Why Choose This Tea
This 2024 Ma Su Old Bush Lapsang Souchong is a powerful yet refined expression of Wuyishan black tea. Crafted from over 100-year-old Cai Cha bushes at the highest altitude in Tongmu Guan, it captures both strength and purity. A thick, honey-sweet liquor balanced by refreshing dun hou coolness. With its floral fragrance, mountain charm, and strong chaqi, this is a tea of great depth and vitality, treasured by those who appreciate the true essence of Tongmu black tea.