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“The flavor is smoky, with hints of vanilla, peat and honey…. an amazingly elegant craft-distilled tea liqueur.”

- San Jose Mercury News

Qi Black Tea Liqueur

Qi Black Tea Liqueur is handcrafted from smoky Lapsang Souchong tea, rare fruits, exotic spices, and barrel-aged brandy. The nose is smoky and floral. On the palate, an initial burst of peat yields to a complex interplay of tea, vanilla, and honey. The long smooth finish lingers in smoke and mandarin blossom. Qi Black is 40% alcohol by volume and only semi-sweet -- 2% wildflower honey versus the usual 20-30% sugar of most liqueurs.

Qi Black is a wonderful sipping spirit, with the rich smoke and complexity of a fine single malt Scotch. Qi Black can also define exotic cocktails, pairing especially well with citrus and bitter flavors, as well as teas and coffees (see the cocktail section). Qi Black is also an exceptional cooking companion; the magic ingredient in dessert sauces, meat glazes, and smoky marinades.

 Product Specifications

40% alc./vol.750 ml6 bottles/caseSRP $42.00

About Liqueurs, Tea, and Qi

Liqueurs date back to the days of that great doctor of antiquity, Hippocrates, who added cinnamon to fermented honey to make Hippocras, which was still fashionable 2,000 years later during the reign of Louis XIV. In the Middle Ages, monks were responsible for the physical health (as well as spiritual salvation) of the people and had both the time and the gardens to experiment. They understood that alcohol preserved the healing quality of herbs, so herbal liqueurs became an important form of medicine. In short order, liqueurs also became a drinking delicacy. 

Tea is grown in tea gardens and estates around the world, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations that often take their name from the district in which they're grown. Great tea, like fine wine, possesses complexity, balance, unique flavor profiles, and a long history. Tea is the most widely consumed prepared beverage on earth, and has been prized for its properties of comfort, warmth, health, and flavor since ancient times.

Lapsang Souchong, the black tea used in Qi Black Tea Liqueur, is grown in the Fujian province in China. During the curing process, the tea leaves are smoked over cedar and pine fires, giving the tea its distinctive smoky quality. 

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