"Water Sprite" Lao Cong Shui Xian Wuyi Oolong Tea

One village on the foot of Wuyishan had a particularly curious monk living in the local temple.  He wished to see where all the rivers originate. So he set out on a long journey up the rocky slopes of the Wuyi Mountains. 

Once at the top, fully surrounded by fog, clouds, and mist, he saw a figure. It was the Wise Tea Master Lao Cha. He took him to a tea bush and brewed the leaves. 

The monk was at a loss for words. He felt that the tea had the spirit of all the mountains, rivers, and oceans of the entire world. 

– What is the tea, oh wise one?

– Shui Xian Wuyi Oolong. Now go on, take this tea back to your village where fellows can enjoy it for centuries to come. 

The Wuyi Mountain region is a place with a unique terroir. Though not incredibly high, fog and mist always shroud the mountain peaks. The moisture gets accumulated on the rocky sides of the mountains and then flows down these rocks to the roots of the tea plants, enriching them with minerals and creating the unique Yan Yun (岩韵 – "rock rhyme") taste for which "Water Sprite" Shui Xian Oolong Tea is famous.

Shui Xian Wuyi Oolong Tea (水仙茶) is also known as "Narcissus" or "Water Sprite" in the West. Many interpret the name of this tea differently, as some other meanings are "tea of immortality" and "water fairy" or "Narcissus" and "Daffodil". Zheng Yan, the prime area of Wuyi Shan, where this Cliff Tea is grown, is a National Reserve area with a strict prohibition of pesticide usage. Our tea is hand-picked from 40-year-old tea trees and is organic. The taste is sweet and delicate, with lingering floral and mineral notes.

Shui Xian is a signature cultivar for Northern Fujian, one of the main oolong types proper to this region. It's also especially hard to produce. The most crucial step is the traditional baking process, which the tea farmers carefully monitor to avoid over-roasting, which causes the tea to lose its delicate floral aroma. Perfect timing is crucial to keep the tea fresh and fragrant yet mellow and toasty. This Wuyi Yancha is roasted three times on a traditional wood charcoal fire.

Its thick, oily green leaves produce a clear and bright deep orange tea soup with a strong and mellow taste that is equally refreshing and sweet. An intense flower fragrance with dominating orchid notes will fill up your nose and go down your throat, while a mouthwatering aftertaste will bring you back to this gong fu session long after it has ended.

The legend of this particular yancha (rock tea) is long and complex. It goes back to a Wuyi mountain tea farmer who wished to find where the rivers begin their journey. The farmer set out on a quest to the top of the mountain. He walked for hours up the cliffs, surrounded by clouds and mist. Suddenly, he met a mountain spirit disguised as an old man, who guided him to some tea bushes. The farmer took some back to his village and cultivated them. The resulting tea was some of the purest that the villagers ever had.