Can Smoky Tea Taste Less Bitter? What Lapsang Souchong Research Found

Research published in Food Chemistry this year looked at the pinewood smoke-withering stage used to make smoked Lapsang Souchong. The researchers found a reduced bitterness in the tea they studied, with changes in bitter compounds and evidence that particular smoke aromas could also affect bitter-taste signalling in laboratory tests.


The 2026 finding: smoking changed more than the smell
In research by Weiying Su and colleagues, published in January 2026, the process of pinewood smoke withering on tea leaves reduced bitterness in the Lapsang Souchong samples that were studied. The team combined sensory evaluation, an electronic tongue, chemical analysis and laboratory tests involving a bitter-taste receptor, and found changes occurring in several groups of bitter compounds after the process of smoke withering.

The team also reported that two smoke-associated compounds, guaiacol and alpha-terpineol, reduced activation of the receptor TAS2R14 in their cell-based experiments, resulting in a proposed explanation that involves both changes within the tea and interactions between smoke-derived substances and tea compounds.

Where do the smoky aroma comes from?
Smoked Lapsang Souchong is made using pinewood smoke during processing, and its character is developed before the leaves reach your teapot. In a separate study, published in the January 2025 issue of Food Chemistry, aroma changes were traced through production. Researchers identified smoke-derived substances contributing woody and smoky notes, alongside tea-derived aromas associated with fruit and flowers.

This helps explain why smoky tea need not be a one-note experience - the first sniff may be all pine and embers, while later impressions seem rounder or more fragrant, resulting in the much-loved flavour that lovers of Lapsang Souchong look for in a cup.

What should tea drinkers take from this?
The most useful lesson around specificity when looking for a tea flavour. Smoky describes an aroma, and bitter describes a taste - an assertively smoky tea can have a less bitter character than you expect!