Rou Kuei Oolong belongs to the family of Wuyi Yen Cha (Wuyi Rock Tea, grown in between the rocks) originated in Wuyi area of Fujian Province, China. There are about 830 kinds of Wuyi Rock Tea in the area, most of them are named after the varietals. Rou Kuei is a kind of large tea tree varietal, which can grow up to 3 meters. Rou Kuei means “Cinnamon” in Chinese, indicating the slight cinnamon aroma yields from the tea leaves. Rou Kuei Oolong is one of the most important single varietal in rock tea, occupies nutty roasted sweetness, and famous for long lasting aftertaste and complex.
Partial oxidized Oolong tea was originated from the royal tea blocks “Long Tuan”(龍團) and “Feng Bing”(鳳餅) about 1000 years ago in Sung Dynasty. Oolong tea was officially named as “Oolong” 300 years ago in Qing Dynasty. Wuyi area was the first place producing Oolong tea. The processes of producing Wuyi Oolong tea is extremely labor and time consuming. It undergoes sun wilting, room wilting, shacking, dehydrating, roasting, rolling, cooling. The procedures occur repeatedly, needs days to process. Wuyi Oolong is even more aromatic after aging.