Most Wuyi cliff tea is sold under three names: shui xian, rou gui and da hong pao. Shui xian is broad, smooth and deep, with more body than perfume, while rou gui is sharper and spicier, named for cassia. Da hong pao is a legend, a family of clones and a trade name all at once, so the label on its own tells you little.
What is the difference between rou gui and shui xian?
Rou gui is aromatic and assertive. It has a spicy note often compared to cassia bark or cinnamon, and a lively, sharp finish. Shui xian is broader and calmer, with a thick body, a soft woody or mossy sweetness and less perfume. Rou gui shows itself in the nose and on the upper palate. Shui xian sits lower and heavier in the mouth. Brew them side by side and the difference is obvious within one infusion.
Rou gui is a Qing dynasty variety, named for its fragrance. It is one of the easiest cliff teas to spoil in the pot: brewed heavy, the spice turns hard and the tea tastes mostly of roast. Brew it lighter than you think and the spice comes forward. Our half-handmade rou gui shows the classic spice and fruit. The handmade Hua Xiang rou gui (flower fragrance rou gui) leans floral, towards osmanthus and orchid, rather than spice.
Shui xian has broad, thick leaves and grows into tall bushes. It is one of the most widely planted cliff tea varieties and the one many Wuyi drinkers come back to for everyday drinking. It forgives a heavier hand in the pot than rou gui does, and its later infusions often turn sweeter and fresher.
What does lao cong shui xian mean?
Lao cong means old bush. Lao cong shui xian is shui xian picked from bushes planted many decades ago. Older bushes yield less leaf, and the tea is valued for depth and texture rather than aroma. Drinkers describe a mossy, woody note they call cong wei, bush flavour. There is no agreed minimum age, so the term varies from seller to seller. Ask how old the bushes are.
Our handmade lao cong shui xian comes from bushes 40 to 50 years old, grown inside the Wuyi scenic area. Brew it on the same day as a plain half-handmade shui xian and the old-bush depth is easy to find. We also carry an aged lao cong shui xian, rested five years, which shows where the old-bush character goes once the roast has softened.
Is da hong pao a variety or a blend?
It can be either. Strictly, da hong pao names six old mother bushes growing on a cliff face at Jiu Long Keng. Those bushes are no longer picked. Cuttings from them have been planted across the park, and tea from those clones is also called da hong pao. Much of the da hong pao on the market is neither. It is a blend of varieties, often from outside the park, roasted heavily so the leaves taste alike.
A blend is not a fault. A skilled maker can blend a very good da hong pao. The problem is that the name no longer tells you what you are buying. Some Wuyi masters use the name only for the six original bushes and call everything else by its garden and its closeness to them. Our handmade bei dou yi hao is first-generation cuttings from the mother bushes, planted at Bei Dou, which is about as close as anyone can drink. We also have a 2015 da hong pao, rested five years before release, if you want to taste the name after the roast has settled.
What are the famous bushes (ming cong)?
The famous bushes are named varieties prized for a distinct character and grown in small amounts. Qing dynasty records list more than 800 cliff tea names. A couple of hundred probably survive. Four have long been treated as the leaders, known as the four big names: da hong pao, tie luo han, shui jin gui and bai ji guan. Others on our shelf:
- Tie luo han (iron arhat): the oldest recorded Wuyi name, from the Song dynasty. Thick and sweet, with a note often likened to roasted bamboo.
- Bai ji guan (white cockscomb): a pale-leafed variety whose buds look yellow-white on the bush. Crisp and fresh, often compared to lychee.
- Shui jin gui (golden water tortoise): fragrant, with plum blossom notes and a thick, sweet liquor.
- Bu zhi chun (does not know spring): named because it buds in mid to late May, weeks after the rest of the park.
- Lao jun mei (old man's eyebrow): a rare variety from a small growing area, fresh and clean with a strong rock character.
- Jin liu tiao (golden wicker): an old variety grown in small amounts.
Most of our famous bushes cost $136 for 75g. Tie luo han and bai ji guan are $180. The price reflects yield more than fame. These bushes produce little, and all of ours are made by hand.
Why do cliff teas have such unusual names?
Because each name records one thing about the tea, and it is not always the taste. Some are named for fragrance, like rou gui. Some for leaf colour, like bai ji guan. Some for the season they bud, like bu zhi chun. Others take the shape of the tree or leaf, the spot where the mother bush grew, or a local legend, as da hong pao does.
This helps when reading a label. A fragrance name makes a promise about aroma. A legend or place name promises nothing about flavour. It tells you where the variety came from, and you taste the rest.
Which cliff tea should you try first?
Start with a half-handmade shui xian and a half-handmade rou gui side by side. They sit at the two ends of the cliff tea range, and together they teach you what to look for. Next, try the handmade or old-bush version of whichever you preferred, to taste what hand processing and bush age add. Leave the famous bushes until you have a sense of the ordinary ones, because their differences are easier to notice once you have a baseline.
Most of our cliff teas come in 10g samples, which is enough for one or two sessions. Browse them in the Wuyi cliff tea collection. For background on zhengyan and why the cliffs matter, read what is Wuyi cliff tea. Then brew with less leaf than you expect and pour fast, as set out in how to brew Wuyi cliff tea.