Light Roast Zhangping Shuixian Oolong

Name of the product:  Light Roast Zhangping Shuixian Oolong

Year: 2024

Harvest: Autumn

Altitude: 600 meters height above sea level

Tea Material: 60-70 years old tea bushes

Roasting: Light

Area: Zhangping, Zhong Village, Fujian

(Light Roast Zhangping Shuixian Oolong)

Zhangping Shuixian may not be as famous as other Wulong teas like Tie Guan Yin or Yancha, but the quality of good examples is worth trying.

It is famous for its classic mini square tea cake or biscuit shape. Producers wrap the finished tea with white cotton paper. It is the only compressed oolong tea apart from some Yancha and Dancong teas, which occasionally are pressed into cakes or bricks.

Tea region

The tea originates from Longyan, Zhangping, Fujian Province.

Tea origin

Zhangping has been one of the major tea-producing areas in southern China since ancient times. According to historical records, it has a long history of tea, which began in the Yuan Dynasty, and there were also tea processing places in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The Zhangping Shuxian tea tree species is not native to the local area. During the Qing Dynasty, Liu Yongfa brought Shuixian tea seedlings from Shuiji in Jianyang, located in northern Fujian, to his hometown in southern Fujian for cultivation. This event marked the beginning of the production history of Zhangping Narcissus.

Liu Yongfa and Deng Guanjin are pioneers of the Zhangping Shuixian tea industry, with Liu Yongfa being the originator of it.

Originally, this type of tea was available in loose leaves and tea balls. The loose leaves were large and long, making them difficult to transport and prone to moisture absorption and deterioration. Deng Guanjin, who studied under Liu Yongfa, addressed this significant issue.

In 1914, he developed a unique method of making Shuixian tea cakes (the biscuit shape known today) using a wooden mould to press tea leaves into square tea cakes.

Some Wulong teas, like Tie Guan Yin, with some exceptions, have adopted light shaking and heating with a high temperature to dry and remove the red edge on the tea leaves. However, Zhangping Shuixian is an unconventional tea  (if you compare it to some TGY teas) that uniquely preserves the traditional appearance of the tea leaves, characterized by their green colour with red edges, basically oxidation. Producers achieve this distinctive look during the zuo qing (bruising) step, which involves alternating withering and repeated shaking (yao qing) to create friction among the leaves and trigger oxidation on the tea leaves.

Tasting notes

This tea excels in mouthfeel and sweetness. It is thick with a sugared Huigan that causes one to produce plenty of salivation after drinking it.

The tea has no bitterness and a moderate astringency. It has a strong orchid aroma and flavour, with a fresh and cooling feeling.

It also has that buttery sensation in the mouth reminiscent of high-mountain Taiwanese Wulongs.

Regarding the aftertaste, it is long and intense in the mouth and throat.

Light roasting is a classic processing method for this tea, allowing it to maintain its natural orchid fragrance.

Undoubtedly, it is a top-quality tea.

About preparing the tea

Each tea biscuit weighs between 8 and 10 grams; since the leaves are not weighed before pressing, the weight of each piece may vary.

I prefer to divide one biscuit into two or three portions before brewing it. I don’t brew the whole piece. But that is up to your personal preference.

 

 

Weight	N/A
Weight	9 grams (1 biscuit), 45 grams (5 biscuits), 90 grams (10 biscuits)