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favor over another." However, beyond the myths, there are a few points on which many tea professionals agree: Lapsang Souchong was one of the first black teas (if not the first), and it origi- nated in the village of Tong Mu, high in the Wuyishan Mountain range in China's Fujian province. TRUE OR FALSE? Like many of the world's most esteemed teas (aged pu-erhs, Darjeeling blacks, handmade Taiwanese oolongs), true Lapsang Souchong has many "impos- ters" on the market. And it's quite possible, sources say, that sales of these "false Lapsang Souchong" teas far surpass those of "true Lapsang Souchong." As tea folks argue 3C@=>3/< B/AB3A Austin Hodge, founder of Seven Cups in Tucson, Ariz., and Boulder, Colo., says heavily smoked Lapsang Souchong was popularized in Europe and has held strong in the European market since it was famously (albeit fictitiously) sipped by Sherlock Holmes in the late-1800s. Perhaps because of the Holmes asso- sentatives from respected medical, biotech and agricultural col- leges in China. The book (called "Tea: Bioactivity and Therapeutic Potential") claims that true Lapsang Souchong is "only produced in Tong Mu village in Chongan County, Fujian province, China." It also states that anything produced else- where (such as outside Tong Mu but still in the Wuyishan Mountain range) is "false Xiao Zhong." Similarly, Austin Hodge, whether the term Lapsang Souchong has developed a meaning that extends beyond the tea's tradition- al origin and production method, it's worth delving into what "true Lapsang Souchong" (known locally as Zhengshan Xiao Zhong, or "Original/Main Mountain, Small Type") means. True to form, tea geek Coffey bases his definition for "true" Lapsang Souchong on one he found in a book edited by repre- ciation, Americans often think of Lapsang Souchong as a quintessentially British drink. However, David Barenholtz, found- er of American Tea Room in Beverly Hills, Calif., says he sees more of a following among his northern Continental European customers, including those from Germany, the Netherlands, France and Sweden. Barenholtz notes that many European tea shops carry multiple types of Lapsang Souchong to appeal to different types of customers, but that smokier teas tend to prevail over less smoky ones. French tea drinkers, he adds, tend to opt for more of a sweet-and-smoky flavor profile. founder of Seven Cups in Tucson, Ariz., and Boulder, Colo., defines Lapsang Souchong as a smoked tea from Tong Mu. Although sources say that some "fake" Lapsang Souchongs come from the areas sur- rounding Tong Mu, Hodge says that much of it is cheap, mass-produced black tea from Henan or Hunan provinces. Additionally, Hodge states that his defini- tion for "true" Lapsang Souchong is not arbitrary, nor is it purely based on the tea's history. Rather, it has to do with the local tea bushes (a sub-varietal of the Wuyishan region's usual tea plants) and the local pine (which, Hodge says, is far stickier and tar-filled than most other types of pine when it is burned). continued on page 42 FRESH CUP MAGAZINE " MIKE SOUTER