Wuyi Rock Tea
Introducing the Tea Plants
Wuyi Rock tea can be classified according to the type of tea plant, which can be divided into five broad families:
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Dahongpao Tea (Big Red Robe)
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Shuixian Tea (Water Fairy)
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Rougui Tea (Cinnamon)
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Mingcong Tea (Famous Teas)
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Qizhong Tea (Outstanding Teas)
Dahongpao, Shuixian and Rougui are readily available from online tea shops these days. They are widely cultivated in Wuyi Mountain. Hundreds of years of trials and errors have made them highly adapted for large scale production.
From Dancong, Qicong to Mingcong
Wuyi Mountain is famed for its biodiversity, there are literally countless tea species.
Over hundreds of years, people began to understand their unique characteristics. They assign them names according to the the tea plants (leaf color and size) or surrounding environments. These tea plants are known as Dancong.
Through many hundreds of years of tea competitions, certain Dancong emerged as superior. They are known as Qicong or Outstanding species.
When Qicong became famous, they are known as the Mingcong, or Famous Tea Bush.
Dahongpao, Shuixian and Rougui belong to the Mingcong family. There are many others.
The Famous Four
Other than the Dahongpao, Shuixian and Rougui, the four great Mingcong are known as the Famous Four (Sida Mingcong). They are:
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Shui Jin Gui (Golden Turtle)
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Tie Luo Han (Iron Arhat)
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Bai Ji Guan (White Rooster)
- Ban Tien Yao (Middle Sky)
The Famous Four are accessible but there less so than Dahongpao, Shuixian and Rougiu.
The thousands of species of Mingcong and Qicong are only available in tiny quantities and generally inaccessible. Considered wild or semi-wild, they grow in the craggy parts of the Wuyi Mountain. Protected by UNESCO, they have been left alone to preserve the biodiversity of the Mountain.
New Species
New species were introduced into Wuyi from other parts of Fujian province. Examples include Qilan (Outstanding Orchid), Huang Guanyin (Yellow Goddess) and Dangui.
They are not grown in the craggy areas and don't have yanyun or rock flavors. They are lightly roasted to maximize their floral notes and orchid fragrance.
Most of the teas mentioned above are available in the tea shop as a 7-in-1 Sampler.
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