$14.99
Price is for 2 oz.
New offering - 2/24/2020
“Old Shrub” Shui Xian Wuyi Mountain Oolong (老欉水仙). Shui Xian is a popular varietal grown in the Wuyi Mountain area of Northern Fujian.
Notes:
Dry leaf- Dark cherry, powdered cocoa
Top notes - Crystallized sugar or creamed honey, smoke
Bottom notes - Pepper
Texture - Medium
Crop: Spring 2019
Varietal: Shui Xian
Origin: Wuyi Shan
Brewing: Gong fu brewing with spring water, or filtered water is recommended. Shorter steeps with a bit more leaf (6gr to a gaiwan). You have to fortify your vessel a bit to get more flavor out. Water around 200°. I encourage you to drink this as it cools down. Different temps bring various notes to the forefront. Of course you can also use one teaspoon to 8oz. 200° water for 4-5 minutes.
What is "Rock Tea"?
Yancha, or “Rock Tea” is a family of oolong teas grown in the rocky soils of the Wuyi Mountain area in Northern Fujian Province. Typically, they are roasted leaves, long and twisted reminiscent poetically of a Chinese Black Dragon twisting among the clouds as he flies (fun fact: oolong literally means "Black Dragon" in Chinese haha (乌龙）. Tea has been grown there at least since the Ming Dynasty.
I’m a fan of “rock” teas. I noticed early on in my tea drinking experience that certain teas softened the water in my cup more than others. Taiwanese Dayuling has this quality for instance, as do some others. I figured out in time that rocky soil, being rich in minerals delivers more of the “yan” to the leaf and therefore the teacup. “Yan” is a Chinese term for rock or cliff but really means minerals in this context and these teas are called Yancha in Chinese. As far as tea drinkers are concerned, one might translate this in modern English as “Mineral Tea”. As mineral water absorbs the character of the rocky depths from where it springs, yancha contains the character of the rocky soil in which it is grown. Various Yancha can also offer nice fruity, citrus or floral top notes. These teas age very well.
