One story maintains that during the Qing Dynasty an army unit passing through a small village decided to camp in a tea factory. Once they were gone, the workers realized that the only way to get the tea ready for the next day’s market was to dry it over a fire. They did exactly that and voila, Lapsang Souchong was born. Well, there is only one way to produce it. Souchong leaves, noted for their thick, rough appearance are withered over burning pine bows, placed in barrels covered with cloth and allowed to ferment. A process which has gone virtually unchanged for hundreds of years.