"Stone Milk" Shi Ru Wuyi Oolong Tea

– Shifu, the air is filled with the aroma of ripe fruits! Could the trees in our orchard have ripened already? But it's only May 

– The aroma of a thousand ripened fruits hides in this tea! Nourished by the clear waters of the mountain stream, it absorbs the essence of spring in a single cup. 

Shi Ru (石乳), also called Yan Ru (岩乳), literally translates as "Stone Milk", is a rare gem. The name hints about the essence of the rocks and stones in Wuyi mountain reflected in this precious tea. Nourished by the streams and rocky soil, growing in Wuyi mountain's unique environment and climate, our Stone Milk Oolong tea is a fine example of Rock tea with an excellent mineral taste with a fruity accent.

The Wuyi Mountain region is a place with a unique terroir. Locals call it 三坑两涧和马头 – Three Valleys, Two Streams and "Horse Head" Rock. Though not too high, fog and mist always shroud the peaks in Wuyi Mountain. The moisture accumulates on the rocky sides of the mountains. It then flows down these rocks to the roots of the tea plants, enriching them with minerals and creating the unique Yan Yun (岩韵, or "rock rhyme") taste, for which Wuyi Oolong Tea is famous.

Tea growing between cliffs of Wuyi Mountains (Zheng Yan area)

Shi Ru (or Yan Ru) is an ancient Rock tea variety. Its history goes back as far as the Tang dynasty. It reaches its heyday during the Song and Yuan dynasties as a firm favorite of the Royal court. Song emperor Taizong pronounces it as a tribute tea. Another Song ruler, emperor Huizong, praises its "sweet and smooth taste". Along with the Dragon and Phoenix teas from the famous Beiyuan garden, Shi Ru is considered a top-grade imperial tea, one of the famous Beiyuan tribute teas of the era. In the following Yuan dynasty, Shi Ru is among the teas that grow in the Imperial Garden in Wuyi Mountain. By the Ming dynasty, it was arguably the most popular Yan Cha variety. Today, we can find its mark in the "three pours of Stone Milk" - a step in the art of the local WuYi tea ceremony. Another mark is the "Fragrant Stone Milk" inscription engraved on the cliffs around the Nine Dragons stream in Wuyi Mountain. 

Mr. Zhou at work / Yan Ru leaves

Our Shi Ru Yan Cha is a mid-roast Oolong tea with a pronounced, complex character. The tea master, Mr. Zhou, harvests the tea trees from his garden in the Banyan area according to a picking standard of two mature leaves and one smaller leaf in the middle. Mr. Zhou uses a traditional processing method that includes a triple charcoal roasting of the leaves. The first one is in mid-July, then in mid-September, and the final one as late as mid-November. Upon submerging the leaves in boiling water, they reveal a delicate mineral taste with dominating fruit accents of peach and apricots. Unlike other Yan Cha varieties (like, for example, Rou Gui), Stone Milk features finer, more subtle notes. At the same time, it has a complex character that requires multiple brews to reveal. You'll experience a "Yan Yun" - the rocky flavor of a genuine Yan Cha with a strong fruity hint and a delightful creaminess. The aroma features gentle hues of chocolate, spices and tobacco.