Tasting Profile
Appearance. Cloudy straw yellow.[1]
Nose. An aromatic bouquet of malt, almond and smoke. AKA describes the smoke, wood and resin derived from the pine wood smoking as intense but elegant.[1],[2],[3],[4]
Palate. The label and AKA's Lapsang Souchong panel describe a smoky opening, followed by almond and malt and a finish of fresh, elegant acidity. Callmewine similarly describes a fresh, smoky palate and lingering smoky notes.[3],[4]
Pairings
At the restaurant Ultra in Milan, AKA Lapsang Souchong kombucha is used in the Ultra Spritz cocktail, alongside Aperol and Zenzerello ginger-lemon liqueur.[5]
Composition & Vinification
AKA's Lapsang Souchong panel describes a fermented infusion of Lapsang Souchong and Earl Grey teas, with water, sugar, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts, and added yeasts.[1],[3]
Lapsang Souchong Tea Infusion — Smoke, Wood and Resin. AKA attributes deep notes of smoke, wood and resin to the pine wood smoking used to make its Lapsang Souchong tea.[2]
Earl Grey — Citrus Counterpoint. AKA's own accounts name Earl Grey as part of the tea composition. In its Instagram post dated 5 September 2026, the company states that Earl Grey tea, with its citrus component and distinctive bergamot character, is added to AKA Lapsang and brings a freshness that contrasts with the smoky notes.[2]
Fermentation Methodology
The Callmewine product description sets out the sequence in two stages. A base of Lapsang Souchong tea infusion receives raw cane sugar and a scoby — a symbiotic culture of yeasts and bacteria — which carries out the first fermentation.[1]
Callmewine describes bottling the fermented kombucha with yeasts selected from Champagne for a second fermentation in the bottle.[1]
The same description reports ageing on the lees for up to 30 months.[1]
Yeast — Final Declared Ingredient. Yeast closes the label's ingredient list, without a declared percentage. The producer's 5 September 2026 panel likewise refers to added yeasts alongside the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts.[4]
Provenance & Sourcing
Specifications. Callmewine lists the alcohol content of Lapsang Souchong as 0.2%.[1]
Production Philosophy
AKA Lapsang Souchong is a kombucha built on smoked black tea. Lapsang Souchong itself is a black tea of Chinese origin, dried and smoked over pine or cedar wood; the Callmewine product description says that treatment gives the leaf a characteristic fumé aroma which is transmitted to the kombucha. AKA has described the tea as a traditional Chinese black tea dried and smoked with pine woods, carrying notes of smoke, wood and resin.[1],[2]
AKA frames fermentation as an amplifier rather than a neutral carrier. In an Instagram post dated 5 September 2026, the company states that fermentation transforms and amplifies the aromatic profile of the Lapsang tea, creating new nuances and a more complex, dynamic sip.[2]