Originally from the mountainous Wuyi region in the Chinese province of Fujian. It is distinct from other types of tea, as the leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pinewood fires, imparting a distinctive flavor of smoky pine.

Lapsang souchong is a member of the Bohea family of teas though not an Oolong, as are most Bohea teas ("Bohea" is the pronunciation in Minnan dialect for Wuyi Mountains, which is the mountain area producing a large family of tea in South-East China).