A Pot of Lapsang Souchong

Serve when

Pour it exactly as ordered at that first breakfast — 'and a pot of Lapsang Souchong tea' — smoke in a cup for a man who takes his rituals neat.

In the movie

Theatrical

00:14:21 The final item of Reynolds's famous breakfast order: a pot of Lapsang Souchong — the pine-smoked black tea whose name he pronounces like a fitting instruction.

Lapsang's campfire smoke is the most opinionated tea in the caddy — of course it's Woodcock's. Its appearance in the breakfast order is a character note: even his tea has a strong personality and no patience for distraction.

Ingredients

Lapsang Souchong (pine-smoked black tea), loose leaf
Freshly boiled water
A proper pot, warmed
no milk required (Reynolds would notice)

Method

Warm the pot; one teaspoon of leaves per cup plus one for the pot.
Pour water just off the boil and steep 3–4 minutes — the smoke blooms fast.
Decant into thin china.
Sip while working in absolute silence. Butter your scone quietly.