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A Guide to Wuyi MountainCliff Tea

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tradition of holiness and the smell of antiquity to thearea. And yet, more often than that, you turn a cor-ner and find yourself between two tall cliffs, the sunsrays visible strokes that gently end on the greeneryand crystal watersand then you realize that it is notthe temples which have made this place sacred, butrather a mystical and mysterious charm which drewthe wandering ascetics here in the first place. I have always felt a kinship to Wuyi teas.Tey were among the very first teas I fell in lovewith, and each spring I return to these mountainsto bask in the Nature that creates my favorite teas,have sessions on the very rocks ancient tea sages did,using the bright stream water that the trees them-selves drink of. And every year I find myself hushed

to a state of deep calmness unlike anywhere else. Itis difficult for me to choose any one genre of tea as afavorite, but if I had to drink only one kind of tea forthe rest of my life it would indeed be Wuyiyancha.

Wuyi tea is, to me, the richest variety ofteawith thousands of kinds and varieties of quality,processing and grades. Not only that, but the way inwhich the flavors, aromas and Qi change from steep-ing to steeping, session to session means Wuyi tea isalways inviting me to explore it further. Ten, as yourteas age, they also transform completely so that afterfive years or so they are no longer recognizable as thesame tea.

For hundreds of years tea lovers have followeda journey leading into the northern wilderness ofFujian province, where cliffs and rivers touch the skywith a dancing grace that is otherworldly. Te rockshere are covered in calligraphy, carved to commemo-rate dignitaries who came to pay respect to this landabove the clouds, poems written by famous scholarsand unknown travelerseach compelled beyondconstraint, overflowing with the emotions such beau-tiful rivers, cliffs and bends in the sky inspire. And ofcourse, there is the tea, called cliff tea for its liquorhas within it all these elements.

Undeniably sacred, Wuyi is one of the onlymountains in China where Daoist, Buddhist andConfucian temples abound in such close proxim-ity. Te powerful connection these mountains have

to Nature, the incredibly rich mountain waters andthe old tea bushes growing amongst these cliffs havegathered saints, sages and seers since time immemo-rial. Tere are Daoist caves that were once essentialstops on meditation tours that l ed to immortality,and some say there are still hermits high up amongstthe peaks of Wuyi even today. For hundreds of years,Buddhist monks and nuns have tended their owntea gardens there, helping to establish the rich tradi-tion that has made this magnificent park an essentialstop on any tea journey. On a visit, you cant ignorethe influence these old temples have had, bringing a

ping falls that highlight every turn also emphasize thecoursing pulse of the mountains, flowing through theearth to the trees and on to us. Te water that flows

down these cliffs is full of rich minerals, not onlyfrom the countless rocks within the park, but alsofrom the higher mountains to the east. Tis irrigationhas also helped to create the rich, gravely soil thattea sages have said is most suitable for tea since longbefore Lu Yu made that claim famous.

Besides rich oxygen, protection and miner-als the cliffs also participate in tea production in oneother important way: during the day, the rocks andcliffs absorb the sunlight in the form of heat, whichthey then release throughout the night, comfor tingthe old bushes with a consistent temperature at alltimes. Tis is especially important during the harvestseason, when slight temperature fluctuations can af-

fect the quality and abundance of the harvest. While we can explore the different ele-ments of Wuyi tea production, the harmony of sun,rocky soil, water mist and air is really not somethingmaintained or controlled by the hands of men. Tebest teas are created by Nature first, and man sec-ond. Besides the qualities pointed out here, thereare a million subtle ecological relationships betweenother plants, insects, animals, the mountains and sky,which well never understand. But is there any need?A quiet hike through the park trails to an undis-turbed garden, quiet these hundreds of years, leavesyou with an impression a thousand, thousand poemscould never capturein awe of Nature and yourplace in it. Perhaps there is no need to know why

Wuyi tea is like none other on Earth, especially whenyou can accept it so easily as that same sunshinewarms your skin, you reach down and scoop up someof the smooth, soft water with a refreshing coolness.Eating the amazing local vegetables and walking a bitmore, you realize that youd be healthier living here aswell. Like some other regions, Wuyi people alsotake great pride in their tea processing skills, devel-oped over centuries. One of the problems that youcan encounter with other genres of tea that havebecome popular, like Puerh, is that the booming

The World Cultural and Heritage site of WuyiMountain has been regarded as a national treasuresince the Han Dynasty. Te many gorges, rivers,

cliffs and other scenery have inspired countless poets,painters and authors. Te park itself is around sev-enty square kilometers and most of the famous 36peaks and 99 crags are around 400 meters above sealevel. Tere are numerous waterways, the most fa-mous of which is the Nine wist River, whose ninebends have been eulogized countless times through-out history. Its source is around two-thousand metershigher and to the east in another park, the HangGang Mountain.

Te environment here produces tea like noother on earth. It is called Cliff ea or Rock ea(yancha) because the old bushes cling to the rocksin beds and valleys between natural gorges. oday,many of the beds that host these small gardens aremanmade, but a deeper trek into the park will yieldplenty of natural settings, with very old bushes, wiz-ened to hundreds of years. Tese cliffs work togetherwith the tea bushes in an amazing variety of ways,surging all the forces of Nature through this channeltowards us humans.

Te cliffs on both sides protect the trees fromwind and other natural dangers, as well as shieldingthe bushes from too much sunshine. Many of themallow the morning and evening light to gather on thebushes, and studies have shown that the reddish-or-ange light of the morning causes the trees to producemore sugars, while the more purplish light of the eve-ning results in more amino acids and various kinds of

proteins. Te unique environment here at Wuyi hasresulted in a tea with very unique hydrooxybenzene,amino acids, catechi, caffeine and other elementswhich all affect the nature and quality of a tea.

Te cliffs here also aid in tea production, asthey funnel daily mist into the valleys, assuring thatthe tea trees are always humid and moist. Localshave for centuries called this the Breath of Heaven,claiming that the tea trees breathe in the Qi of themist and rocks, lending them their rock flavor. Wa-ter is always such an essential aspect of tea, both as itflourishes in Nature and in preparation. And as onestrolls through the park, the crystal streams and drip-

TerroirWuyi mountain stands like the imposing pillars at Heavens gate, supporting all the East. To live is toknow the infinite universe, though its creative forces remain forever unknowable.

Zhu Xi

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this amazing place. Tey arent tended too much andsome of the small, terraced gardens are so surroundedby vegetation that the tea is not easily discernable tothe untrained eye. Of course, these trees are almostentirely organic and harvest by hand once a year. Tere are, however, several qualities of zhenyan starting of course with the trees themselves. It isa big park and different locations are better for teagrowth than others: places where the trees are older,the water and minerals better, or perhaps the mistand sunshines is perfect. As mentioned above, thecliff walls absorb the days sunshine and release it atnight, so many locations in the park stay at a con-stant temperature and humidity during the growingseasons.

Another important factor relates to the factthat the park is such a famous tourist destination.Tousands of people walk through there every day,following the clear and defined paths constructed bythe government. Consequently, the tea gardens nearthese paths are all inferior. Te noise, camera s andeven the breathing of thousands of people all affectthe quality of these gardens. Te best gardens, onthe other hand, are several kilometers deep into theparkdown dirt paths that take you well away fromall the crowds to silent places. Like all plants, tea alsoresponds to human interaction, emotion and eventhe human voice itself.

tea industry attracts farmers who were previouslygrowing other crops. Tey then learn the standardmethod of processing for their region and stick tothat, day in and day out. Many of the flaws in re-cent Puerh production are as a result of this formula,which fails to account for all the subtle changes thatneed to be made for each batchbased on tempera-ture, humidity and many other factors. Watching theancient wisdom unfold in hand-processedyanchaisamazing, as slight adjustments are made all day andnight to balance factors that are often felt, rather thananalyzed. It is an a rt, in other words. And if youveever tried even the simplest aspect of the process, likeshaking the leaves for example, youll see that it is nowonder it takes decades to masterlike any art.

But not all Wuyi tea is high-quality; not all ofit is environmentally protected or processed by hand(or even with any skill). It is therefore important tounderstand a bit about the four grades of Wuyiyan-chaand some guidelines for identifying them:

Zhen yanThe highest grade ofyanchaall comes from withinthe protected park itself. rees here tend to be olderand grown with the proper distance between eachtree so their roots have room to breath, growing deepand wide to absorb all the wonderful nutrients of

Even zhen yanfrom a single garden will besorted several times, and a variety of grades willeventually be packaged. A lot can go into the distinc-tion. Te tea processed by the hand of the master, forexample, may be the smallest quantity each year, ashis job is mostly to teach and supervise his youngerrelatives and employees. Genuine zhen yanfrom within the park is al-most never, ever roasted heavily. A lot of people haveonly ever tried heavily-roastedyanchaand thereforehave probably not tasted much zhen yan, which isproduced in much lower quantities and more expen-sive as a result. Each of the thousands of varieties ofyancha, like Shui Jing Guior Lao Jing Mei, has a verydistinct flavor. Tie Liou Han, for example, is known

to taste of burnt bamboo, while Bai Ji Guantastes oflychee. If the roast was too heavy, these flavors wouldbe lost. In fact, almost all zhen yanis stored for sixmonths to a year before drinking so that whateverroast there is will mellow out, leaving behind theflavors of the leaf. Like all oolong, mastery in roast-ing is when the roast affects the flavor in a positiveway without leaving behind any traces of itself. Teexception to this rule is the mistaken zhen yantea,which is heavily roasted. As each variety of tea ishand-processed some of it is lost due to all kinds ofmistakes, natural and human. Tis tea is set aside

Before the strict ban, put into effect around2002, some friends picked some of the famous DaHong Paofrom the original bushes, processed it anddrank it a few days later. While the tea was amazing,coming from such old and powerful bushes, theirguide, Mr. Wang, said that compared to earlier yearswhen he had drunk it, the quality had slightly di-minished. When I asked him why, he responded thatit was definitely because of the thousands of peoplewho come and take photos and make a lot of noisearound them each day. Of course, much of the mastery of oolong teais in the complicated processing, so this is a majorfactor in the end-product as well. Te best zhen yanis completely hand-processed, though there is al so

semi-hand-processed and machine-processed tea. Itis easy to differentiate the hand-processed o r semi-hand-processed from the machine-processed varietyby appearance alone, as the latter produces moreuniform leaves, all about the same shape with thesame kind of twist, whereas the hand-processed andsemi-hand-processed teas display a variety of sizes,shapes and twists unique for ea ch leaf. Discriminat-ing between completely hand-processed and semi-hand-processedyanchais more difficult and takes abit of practice under the guidance of the trained eye.

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calledzhen yan. For the most part, though, these treeslack what the best qualityyanchahas: cliffs on bothsides, which not only absorb and release heat, as wediscussed earlier, but also drain minerals down fromboth sides into streams of nutrient-rich waters fo r thetrees. Tis water also keeps the soil aerated, loose andgravely. As with zhen yan, processing will play a hugepart in determining the quality of a ban yanas well.Much less of this tea is hand-processed, however, asit does not warrant the attention and cost in energy.Hand processing oolong tea is very labor intensive,and during the harvest season many of the mastersget very little sleep indeed.

Zhou ChaDown in the flatlands between the pa rk and the riverthat separates the village, several plantations of teahave been created. Te soil there is rich and the hu-midity is adequate. Some of these trees are also veryold, though less than the previous kinds of tea. In this category, much of what makes dif-ferent varieties ofyanchaspecial is lost. Te distinctflavors of certain varieties ofyanchahave as much todo with their special location in the park as they dowith the genetics of the trees themselves, which iswhy tea masters in Wuyi only really refer to the six

with all the lost tea. At the end of the process-ing period, there is then a bulk of this tea all mixedupwith Shui Jing Gui, Tie Liou Hanand all theother varieties processed that year all mixed together.Tis pile of mixed tea is then heavily roasted, tocover up the differences in the leaves, and sold underthe generic, all-encompassing Da Hong Pao thatdenominates all low-quality tea from Wuyi. Many ofthe best heavily-roasted teas are of this variety, as theyat least come from zhen yan. A look at the wet leavescan show if the tea was blended.

Ban yanThis is what you could call Halfway Cliff ea. It

grows on the hills and cliffsides immediately outsidethe park itself. A lot of these gardens are planted inthe traditional way, thoughon terraces with a meteror so between each tree, which is left to grow strongand old. Some of these gardens are actually quite oldas well and many are organic, though much less thanin the park. Ban yancan be a shady area because some ofthe gardens that are just outside what the governmenthas demarcated as the park produce better tea thansome of the worst locations within the park. Also, alot of ban yanis right on the border, and there aretrees just on the other side of a cliff that could be

Wei SanLiterally Grown Outside, this tea is grown in theflatlands surrounding the park and shares in none ofthe richness that makes Wuyi tea special. Tis tea isall grown at a lower altitude, inorganic hedged andpruned little trees that are harvested into the ground,

like in most tea-growing areas around the world. Tistea is all about mimicking Wuyi tea, and heavy roaststo cover up any trace of flavor that could possibly in-fuse from the tea itself. Basically these are farms thathave, over the years, jumped on the Da Hong Paobandwagon and converted their land to tea produc-tion to cash-in on the growing interest. I have someof this tea from a trip in 2001 that to this day stillhas not lost its roast, so that when you open the jaror brew the tea the roast-flavor and aroma is as strongas it was the day it was roasted.

original trees as Da Hong Pao, for example, sinceeven grafting clones and planting them elsewhere willeventually result in a new variety of tea as the treesadapt and interact with their new surroundingslikethe first generation Da Hong Paoplanted in the now-

famous Bei Dou area. Also, the farming by the river ceases to beabout quality and starts to march to the economicdrum. For that reason, very little of it is organic andit is often harvested year round, like in other tea-growing regions around the world. All of this tea isheavily roasted, whichas we discussedis almostalways a means of covering up inferior quality leaf,and sold as the g eneric Da Hong Pao. Most of thistea is sold raw to large factories that machine processit. In fact, some farmers have even begun to sell theirzhen yanto the factories rather than process it them-selves.

Zhou Cha

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At the start of the season local monks holda large ceremony. Tey make offerings, burn in-cense and place fruit upon the altar before chant-ing through the morning. Te Master Guide, thetea-pickers and porters are all blessed in turn beforethey set out. Tey often remain silent as they walk tothe tea bushes for the first time. Tis comes perhapsfrom a tradition of keeping the locations secret or outof respect for the spirits of Nature so that they helpmake the harvest more plentiful. Tey sometimeshike for miles in order to reach the tea bushes, whichare often high up amongst the cliffs. When they ar-rive at the destination they can begin to speak. Evenbefore the leaves are ever seen there is a reverenceasense of spirit even amongst the lowest porter.

Te Master Guides second job is to directthe pickers, showing them exactly which leaves topick. ea leaves grow alternately on their stems, notopposite from one another. raditionally, only thefirst three leaves of each branch were taken. However,the increased demand for Wuyiyanchahas made theMaster Guides more lenient. Nowadays, the leavesare picked down to what is called the fish eye (yuyen), a small curled leaf residing about fiveleaves down the stem. Te leaves below the fish eyeare reserved for the next season. Despite the increasedyield in recent times, the leaves that are lower down,

Theyanchamust pass through many stages inits production before it is ready to be brewed andenjoyed, and if any one of them is done improperlythe teas quality will be compromised. Tere arentany secret recipes involved; rather, the beauty of thetea depends upon mastery of technique gained onlythrough experience. ea-producers have been han-dling this tea for a long, long time, first watching asthey were children, then participating more and moreas they got older. Te masters have l ived Wuyi tea fordecades.

Te Harvest

One cant underestimate the importance of thepicking stage. A Master Guide must accompanythe pickers to find the right bushes. Tere are nofences or boundaries in Wuyi, so the Master Guideneeds to know the land as if it were his own back-yard. Unknowingly harvesting leaves from someoneelses bushes is a serious offense. In the olden days,the owner of the bush was permitted to exact anypunishment he wished on the culprit. oday, it is anunwritten law that the offender must pay the ownerdouble what was taken, by mistake or intentionally.Consequently, the first job of the Master Guide is tolead the pickers to the bushes that they can pick.

After showing the pickers which leaves totake, the Master Guide can step back and supervise.Te best pickers are often elderly ladies, as the pick-

ing is a delicate process. If a leaf is dropped to theground it is considered spoiled and left behind. Teseolder woman have the experience and dexterity topick the tea with the most efficiency. Te women of-ten only pick the tea. Usually porters carry it back tothe village. Te paths are often steep and treacherousand the baskets heavy. When the tea is harvested tothe fish eye the Master Guide will order the pickersto halt. Tey return to the village at a quicker pacethan they walked on the way there, because the teamust reach the village as soon as possible to start theprocessing. Almost the entire process occurs on thesame day the leaves are reaped.

between the fish eye and the third lea f, are lowerquality and later downgraded in the sorting, so thateven today the first three leaves are separated and

packaged together to create the highest quality Cliffea.Te picking process can become extremely

complicated. Even the placement of the bush mustbe taken into account. Te side facing east will beblessed with more morning sunshine and thereforegrow larger leaves that are opened more. Te back-side, on the other hand, will have more buds. Teseteas must be separated. Sometimes blends are made,if the mixture will have a better flavor, but all of thismust be conducted by a master with years of experi-ence.

Processing

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day, the time of day, the strength of the sun and thenature of the leaves themselves. Like any aspect oflife, its about finding the right degreein this casenot too limp nor too stiffjust right. Masters knowby sight and touch when the leaves are ready for thenext stage. Te harvest day is usually chosen at a timewhen there wont be any weather issues that couldpotentially disrupt production. Contingencies arethere, like charcoal stoves to control temperature andhumidity, though subtle changes would result if thetea were to be processed on a rainy day, and thereforedried indoors.

Shaking and OxidationT

he shaking part of the process is the very thingthat separates Oolong from all other varieties of tea.A round, woven bamboo tray is held firmly in twohands and the leaves are vigorously shaken. Shakingthe leaves requires great skill. Tere is a rhythm tothe process. It takes strength and endurance to shakethe leaves and wisdom to know when they are fin-ished. Te shaking bruises the leaves, which encour-ages oxidation at this stage and fermentation post-production. Te master producers try to bruise onlythe edges so that they will later develop a reddish huethat makes the leaves beautiful to look at and moredelicious to drink. It is quite difficult to achieve thisby hand.

Drying and ReductionWhen the leaves arrive at the village they are gentlyplaced on round bamboo trays. Sometimes a tarp islaid on the ground if the leaves are of lower qualityor higher yield. Te leaves are arranged neatly in asingle layer, using as many trays as necessary, then leftto dry. Te leaves are dried because the moisture intea leaves makes them too fragile for processing; theywould only break. Te drying, accordingly, preventsbreakage by making the leaves slightly limp in prepa-ration for the rest of the procedure. Tere is nevera moment where they arent monitored. If it is toosunny or too hot the leaves could be burned, whichwould ruin them. Also, if they are left to dry fo r too

long, they will become overly-wilted and must bediscarded. Te leaves must reach the desired level offlexibility, no more or less. Oxidation is also a factor. Periodically, the trays will be brought insideand placed on shelves, where the temperature andlight can be controlled more precisely. Tis stage issometimes called, reduction. When the leaves comeinside out of the sun, they begin to stiffen againslightly. Tis is called huan yuan() in Chinese,which literally means alive again. A master watchesthe leaves and moves them in and out of the room asmany times as necessary to reach the desired flex-ibility. Much of this depends on the weather for that

When the process is done in the traditionalway, by hand in a large empty wok, the person fryingmust know when the leaves are finished by touchalone. It takes many years of practice before a studentis allowed near the best quality teas. Te fingers mustremain firmly closed so that no leaves get caughtbetween them. Te leaves are pushed to the centerand then stirred outwards again. If the leaves areslightly damp, the person frying will gently pull themup from the center and drop them to evaporate anyexcess moisture. Te leaves must be pulled becausethey are too hot to reac h under. Te leaves are also

occasionally turned in a circular fashion to keep themin motion, ensuring that they dont sear. Besides theheat and moisture, a lot of things are going on atonce during this stage. Te person frying must con-centrate. A lot depends on this phase of the process.

After shaking, the bruised leaves are placedon shelves to oxidize. Te shaking and withering willbe continued at regular intervals until the masterwho oversees the production declares that the tea issufficiently oxidized to move on to the next stage. Itis this keen eye which distinguishes the masters fromthe skilled apprentices.

FryingWhen the tea has finished withering it is time to fryit. Te frying of tea serves two purposes: First the

frying arrests the oxidation process. If the leaves wereallowed to oxidize any more, they wouldnt taste andsmell the same. Secondly, the frying destroys certainenzymes in the leaves that give them a bitter, grassytaste. For that reason, the frying of the leaves is oftencalled the kill-green stage (sa cheen).

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steps and roasting on the same day. For that reason,only the best teas will be roasted start to finish on thesame day. Te greater bulk of the tea will go througha short initial roasting, called zhou shui bei(), or temporary roasting, which stops the oxida-tion process completely and puts the tea on holdfor a short time. It is then carefully stored until allthe tea has been gathered for that season. Tis couldtake days or even weeks depending on the factoryand farm. When all the tea has been picked and pro-cessed, they are roasted together. Te second roa sting,referred to as zhu bei() or completing theroasting is then conducted under the supervision of

the master. All of the laborers cooperate in this longerroast, which requires constant supervision. Any stageof the process can damage the quality of a tea, but er-rors in the roasting are perhaps more evident than atother stages. A poor roast is immediately noticeablein the first sip. In order to roast the teas compact charcoalis placed in wells. Rice ash is used to cover the coals,reducing the temperature to inhibit any flame. Teroasting must be through heat alonea flame wouldcook the tea. Te tea is stirred and spread out regu-larly throughout the roast.

Shaping and BruisingThe shaping of the leaves must happen immediatelyafter frying. Te temperatu re mustnt decrease at all.Tis often requires the cooperation of more thanone worker. Te leaves are quickly carried to bam-boo trays that have raised r ibs woven into them. Teshaping (rou nian) is done with rolling, knead-ing motions. It is for that reason sometimes calledrolling or kneeding.

Te shaping is done for several reasons: First-ly, it causes the leaves to dry in a curled shape thatis both pleasing and saves on packaging space. Moreimportantly, rubbing the leaves across the bambooribs bruises the cellular structure of the leaves. Te

combination of the curled shape and bruised struc-ture will cause the leaves to slowly release their es-sential oils, flavors and aromas when they are steeped.Te bruising also changes the way in which the teawill oxidize during the rest of production as well asferment when it is finished.

RoastingWhen the tea is shaped properly, it is ready to beroasted (hong bei). Smaller factories that pro-duce Wuyi tea by hand do not have time to completethe roasting during the harvest season. Tere isntenough space or people to complete all the other

Because the process takes a long time, theleaves will again be exposed to moisture in the air.For that reason, when the sorting is finished, theleaves are then roasted again for a very quick spell.Tis dries them out. Te best Wuyi teas are packagedwhile they are still hot from this final, swift roasting.

Sorting, Heating and PackagingThe teas are sorted on large tables, usually by thesame nimble hands that picked them. Te first threeleaves, which are of higher quality, are separated intopiles. Te sorting is very time consuming, and donevery carefully to maximize the amount of higher-grade leaves for the market. Sometimes a winnower isused to remove dust particles from the lower qualityleaves.

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Xui Shian(Water Fairy) and Rou Gui (Cinnabar) arealso quite common varietals. Each has a history andlegend surrounding its name, a special leaf-shape andeven subtle nuances in processing and drinking. Per-haps a brief exploration of the Four Legendary kindsof Cliff ea will be useful here:

There are thousands of kinds ofyancha, some dat-ing back hundreds of years. Every year I find newplaces and exotic new kinds of tea. Many of the moreunique varieties are limited to a few bushes only.Tey are special mostly because of the differences intheir locations, sunlight, minerals, soil and water.I have one small canister of ayanchamade from asingle bush, called Lao Shou Shin, that is morethan three hundred years old. Te four most famous varieties ofyanchaareDa Hong Pao(Te Emperors Crimson Robe), TieLiuo Han (Iron Arahant), Shui Jing Gui (Golden Wa-ter ortoise), and Bai Ji Guan (White Cockscomb).

solid with mixed greens and browns throughout. Tetea is full-bodied and has the fragrance of osmanthusflowers. It is especially famous for the sensations (chayun) it brings, especially to the upper palate, and arich, long-lasting aftertaste (hui gan).

rue Da Hong Paois said to taste and smell ofthe citrus spray that flies off an orange as it is peeled.I have often smelled and tasted this when drinkinghigh-quality, second-generation tea from the Bei Douarea. Tere are several grades of Da Hong Paothat aremostly evaluated in terms of their genetic proximityto the six original bushesfour actually; two camelater.

Some tea masters suggest that since Da HongPaohas become such a generic term, often labelingthe low-quality tea grown by the river and outsidethe park itself, as well as the mistaken tea that is alllumped together at the end of the season, perhaps itis more akin to a brand name than a variety of tea.Consequently, some masters only use the term DaHong Pao to refer to the original six bushes, c allingother varieties by the location in which the grow andtheir genetic approximation to the original bushes,like Bei Dou First Generation for example.

Da Hong Pao(Te Emperors Crimson Robe)

Da Hong Pao, Te King of ea is the best knownof all Wuyi Cliff eas. It is also the best of the bunch,admired near and far in both the modern and an-tique age. It was often a favorite tribute of the royalcourt. Te origin of this marvelous tea is the cliff ofian Xin Yan, Jiu Long Ke of Wuyi. It received itsname of Emperors Long Red Cape in the QingDynasty.

Since the 1980s, Da Hong Paofarms havespread down into the inner mountains o f Wuyi. DaHong Paogrows from a medium-sized bush withleaves that belong to an asexual reproduction basedon late-grown seeds. Te plant has a half-open shape

with thick branches in close proximity. Its leaves areelliptical, bright and dark-green in color. Tere is aslight bulge on the surface and sharp, dense teetharound the edges. Tey give the impression of beingthick and yet fragile at the same time. Te buds aretender, showing a carmine color with lots of littlehairs, and their fertility is strong and dense. Te di-ameter of the corolla is approximately 3.5cm with sixpetals. Late in April the blossoms display themselveswith the most luxuriance.

Overall, Da Hong Paois of medium outputcompared to other Oolongs. Te dry tea is tight and

Varieties

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Shui Jin Gui(Golden Water ortoise)

This tea originates on the Du Ge Zhai Peak, Niu LanKeng of Wuyi. It has played an important pa rt in theculture and economy of the region since the 1980s.According to legend, it received its name in the QingDynasty, though the plant is much older.

Like Da Hong Pao, Shui Jin Guiis a medium-sized bush and leaf cultivated asexually from late-grown seeds. Te main distribution of Shui Jin Guiis in the inner mountains of the Wuyi region. Tebranches are dense and the leaves elliptical. Tey tooare dark green in color. Te surface also bulges likeDa Hong Pao, but the edges display a slight wavewith tiny, sharp teeth. Te leaves also fold inwards

in a unique way. Te buds are tender and a uniquepurple and green with flowery hairs; their fertility isdense. Te diameter of the corolla is 3cm and usu-ally boasts seven or eight petals. In mid-April theyshine the brightest. Tis tea likewise offers a mediumoutput.

Te color of the dry tea is bluish. Whenfinished it is smooth, fat, tight and even. Whena package is opened, the leaves are all tangled to-gether, which has earned it the nickname Head ofthe Dragonfly. Te liquor is rich and fragrant withhints of plum. It is a clear and deep orange color, andshould have a full body and deep aftertaste.

ie Luo Han(Iron Arahant)

ie Luo Hanreceived its name long before any of theother traditional teas of Wuyi, in the Song Dynasty.It is the earliest of al l known Wuyi teas. It originatesin the Nei Gui Can of Hui Yan, Wuyi.

Te tea trees are planted on a long, narrowbelt beside a small ravine with cliffs on both sides.Te trees are therefore taller and bigger than theother varieties, with a half-open shape and crowdedbranches. Te leaves are also elliptical, thoughslightly longer. Tey are dark green, bright and thickwith dull, shallow teeth around the edges. Te budsare reddish-purple with a lot of hairs. Tey are alsovery fertile, yet tender. Te diameter of the corolla

is 3.5cm and shines brightest in the middle of April.Te buds yield a very high harvest, and are the rawmaterial for this tea.

Because Tie Luo Hanis almost all bud, thetea is sweeter and thicker than the other kinds ofWuyi tea. It has a rich fragrance with a very freshaftertaste that quenches the thirst and offers a verycharacteristic sensation of cleanliness in the mouth. Itis known to taste and smell a bit like roasted, or evenburnt bamboo.

the sunshine and together with the buds look similarto a cockscomb, which is where the tea gets its name.Te diameter of the corolla is 3.5cm with seven pet-als. Tey also blossom fully at the end of April.

Te yellow, bright buds and leaves togethermake a very unique Oolong tea that often has a fra-grance of lychee fruit. Some masters say Bai Ji Guanalso tastes of mushrooms. Te sensations should be

crisp and slightly dry in the mouth.

Bai Ji Guan(White Cockscomb)

This tea originates at the Bat Cave (not the secretlair) on Yin Ping Peak, Wuyi. According to legend, itwas given its name in the Ming Dynasty.

Bai Ji Guanis perhaps the most unique of allyanchavarieties. Like the other teas discussed here,it is farmed asexually from late-grown seeds. It too ismostly found in the inner mountains, and has alsobeen propagated in larger amounts since the 1980s.

Te bushes are medium-sized and have very thick,dense branches. Te leaves are dull and shallow withaverage teeth around the edges. Te surface also bulg-es. Tese leaves appear even more delicate than theother varieties. Te buds are all a bright yellow colorwith miniscule hairs. Te older leaves appear white in

A very, very old bush of Tie Luo Han

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of meditation and life, sought out by travelers whotraversed leagues of mountains, plains and rivers insearch of their legendary golden sutras, whispered inquiet cups directly to the spirit. o drink yanchain the park on some quietrock with clear water scooped from one of the ever-present streams is one of the finest joys under Heav-en, and brings a lasting peace that you carry in yourheart long after leaving. Te surrounding hills arecovered with meditation caves, temples and monas-teries built on the foundation of such calmness. Even

across the aiwan straight, lifting my cup, I close myeyes and return to those vistas, now forever imprintedon my soul.

Wuyi tea changes far more quickly and more dra-matically than other aged teas like Puerh. In just fiveyears, ayanchareaches a whole other world of flavor,especially the good ones. Mostyanchais allowed torest for at least six months, so the roast cools down,and the original flavors of the leaf swell up. Also,unlike Puerh, agingyancharequires no special envi-ronment, humidity, etc. A good container with a niceseal is all that is needed. Every time I open myyanchajars, the tea inside has transformed and opened upnew doors of experience.

Similarly, I have found no tea in the worldthat changes as much from steeping to steeping asyanchadoes. Te flavors, aromas and mouthfeel alltransform with each brew, and as you get down intothe later steepings, a mineral flavorcalled yan weiin Chinesecontinues for many steepings to come.

Te world ofyanchais deep and profound,and you could spend lifetimes brewing this teawithout ever plumbing its depths. Such a life wouldnot be wasted. Wuyi tea has been called the ea ofImmortals for centuries, drunk by Buddhist andDaoist mendicants alike. Te wizened bushes deep inthese scenic gorges have ever been brewed into elixirs

Tea of the Immortals

The Leaf