It's All About Tea — yancha

In the previous article, we talked about what defines Oolong tea, as well as Oolong tea's main varieties split by growing region.

Today, we'll focus on brewing requirements and how they impact Oolong tea taste. We'll also highlight signature Oolong teas - like Dan Cong Oolong and Yancha - and see what makes them unique and sought after. Let's dive in! (Read more)

Tea drinkers worldwide have a special spot in their hearts for the warm, roasted notes of Wuyi Mountain tea (yancha) with its unforgettable Yan Yun. Within the vast history of tea, the Wuyi Mountains are a relatively new growing region. Nonetheless, they continue to produce mesmerizing tea, which we cannot stop talking about. This time, we will go a little more into detail about the different growing regions within Wuyi Shan (Wuyi Mountain) itself.  (Read more)

Both Da Hong Pao and Shui Xian are highly revered Wuyi Oolong teas. They share similar qualities of yan yun, a robust mineral taste, and pleasantly lingering sweetness. Perhaps in the modern tea world, Da Hong Pao rings more bells than its cousin, Shui Xian. Nevertheless, they are both teas worth trying. So what exactly makes them different? (Read more)

One of the things that makes Wuyi Rock Tea different from all other oolongs is the roasting process that it goes through. This process is not only one step, but a few distinguished steps.

When yancha is only in the first stages of processing it's still quite vegetal and floral, much like a green tea. Only at the end of the processing will it gain its characteristic taste that we all love. (Read more)

Similarly with Cha Qi, as many gongfu-ers that exist, the many definitions of Yan Yun you may hear.

In Chinese, Yan means rock, which is also where the name Yan Cha comes from — Rock Tea.

Yun, on the other hand, is much more abstract and is more of a feeling, or a knowing, than it is anything of the physical realm. (Read more)