Lao Cong Shui Xian Spring Tea
Encounter a heart-warming tea container, taking a sip or two of light and elegant tea in the middle of a busy schedule; between touch and vision, clearly comprehend heaven, earth and people of nature and ingenuity.
Frequently Bought Together
Description
- Chinese: wǔ yí lǎo cóng shuǐ xiān yán chá wū lóng chá
- Translation: Wuyi Hundred-Year-Old Lao Cong (Old Bush) Shui Xian Oolong Tea
- Type: Rock Oolong Tea (Yancha)
- Cultivar: Shui Xian (Shui Hsien)
- Tree Age: More Than 100 Years
- Origin: Wuyi, Fujian, China
- Harvest date: 2024/08/15
- Weight: 8g/piece
- Storage Methods: Sealed, Prevent moisture, Vacuum, Alone
- Tea Master: Jiang Guiming
- Lao Cong Shui Xian comes from ancient trees in the most prestigious top terroir in Wu Yi Shan. Teas made from older Shui Xian trees are designated as Gao Cong (40-60 years old) and Lao Cong (above 60 years old). Well-made Gao Cong Shui Xian and Lao Cong Shui Xian have a highly prized mossy/woodsy note called Cong Wei that connoisseurs seek after.
- Lao Cong Shui Xian is a fantastic oolong from Wu Yi Shan in Fujian Province of China that is renowned for producing some of the best and most characterful oolongs. Laocong Shuixian, meaning "Old Bush Water Immortal" in Chinese. This ‘Authentic Rock’ Zhengyan tea is made from leaves plucked from old trees (Lao Cong) that are more than 90 years old grown in the Banyan tea production area of the Wu Yi Mountains. It has undergone medium roasting, resulting in an attractive complex flavour.
- Lao Cong Shui Xian (sometimes Shui Hsien) is a type of oolong that originally comes from Fujian Province and refers to the cultivar used to make this tea. Shui Xian translates as ‘narcissus’, ‘water sprite’ or ‘water lily’ in English and is known for distinctive flowery honey aroma and flavour.
- Shui Xian Lao Cong is known for having an impressively soft and broad body with a substantial downward mouthfeel. In comparison to other varietals, Old Bush Water Immortal has a more subdued aroma. We taste delicate orchids in both aroma and aftertaste. Because of the age of the trees, Laocong Shuixian has the highly prized mossy/woodsy notes (Cong Wei) that connoisseurs seek after.
- Lao Cong Shui Xian tea is made with only the leaves, making it one of the latest teas to be harvested each year, with Ban Yan picking time around early to mid-April and Zheng Yan early May. Lao Cong Shui Xian is made from three to five leaves in Zheng Yan terroir. Lao Cong Shui Xian tea has one of the largest and thickest leaves of all Yan Cha varietals, enabling it to withstand a more thorough roasting. After the teas are sufficiently wilted, they remain on bamboo trays for a few hours before being shaken or tumbled to manage enzyme activity. This step regulates how the water inside the leaves travels outward. The process is repeated every hour, 5-8 times throughout the evening and night until morning. Once the teas are acceptably fermented in the early morning, they are then wok-fried to kill the enzymes in the leaves to stop the fermentation. Fresh out of the wok when the leaves are still hot and soft, they are rolled vigorously to break the surface membranes to bring out more consistent flavors in the tea. The most tedious step in all Chinese tea making is the stem-picking step, which in Yan Cha’s case takes place for several months following the rough tea making. It is a step where undesired yellow leaves (old leaves) and stems are picked out by hand. The “cleaned” tea is then roasted on very dim charcoal ash for 8–12 hours, 1-3 times depending on the varietal, to make it a finished Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea.
- Old-growth Shuixian tea bushes in Wuyishan
Even older Laocong Shuixian bushes like this have many branches that split at the bottom of the plant, rather than a trunk that then branches out. This one is probably around 100 years old. Old tea bushes like these that are over 60 years old are now a rarity in Wuyishan. Since tea farmers now prefer to grow younger bushes for a larger harvest, few old bushes remain. Shuixian (Narcissus) is actually the oldest type of tea bush that we can still enjoy from Wuyishan. Tea made from older tea bushes creates a slippery feeling in your throat similar to that of a good puer made from old tea trees. There is a distinct sweetness and softness that can be detected from tea that is made from aged bushes. By contrast, tea made from young bushes tends to bestow a heavy mouthfeel. According to Chinese medicine, when bushes age, the leaves are treated as a high-end herbal for daily care that is thought to work more thoroughly on the body. - This terroir results in a distinctive ‘rock’ taste that is prized amongst tea lovers for the characteristic profile that is stony and mineral in taste but featuring a long-lasting sweet and floral aftertaste.
- The leaves of this Lao Cong Shui Xian are rather large and produce an amber infusion with a heady floral aroma. The medium roast level results in sophisticated but very well balanced flavours. The liquor has a mouth-watering quality to it, with long-lasting clean floral notes. There are dry and stony flavours that signify this is a Wu Yi Rock oolong. The slightly spicy finish combines with overall roasted and floral honey flavours to create a very pleasing yet complex aftertaste.
Lao Cong Shui Xian Spring Tea