Rou Gui is one of the most famous members of Wuyi Cliff tea family. “Gui” literally means “luxurious” and moreover this character is a part of such emblematic Chinese plants as osmanthus and cinnamon, so “Rou Gui” usually translated as “Cinnamon”. This tea variety exhibits a high viability and resistance to adverse environmental influences, shooting abundantly with succulent, fleshy leaves (“Rou” means “Fleshy”). After a long and laborious processing these leaves become a truly magnificent tea. “Gui Yuan Xiang” (“Longan Fragrance") is made of spring tea shoots (harvest May 2017, hongbei twice in summer and final hongbei in October 2017).
Dry leaf: lengthwise twisted, middle size, purple-brown color. The aroma is warm, roasted. The liquor is transparent, dark amber color.
The brewed tea has roasted, spicy-biscuit bouquet with a touch of fruit. The aroma is warm, smokey. The taste is rich and oily, sweetish with a slight bitterness and mineral notes that define Wuyi oolongs.
Brew tea with hot boiling water (95°C) in a porcelain gaiwan or a teapot of porous clay. The proportion is 4-5 g per 100 ml. The time of the first steeping is about 6-8 seconds. After that do short steeps (just for 2-3 seconds), increasing steeping time for each subsequent step, if necessary. You can steep the tea up to 7-8 times.
“Rou Gui, Longan Fragrance” is an excellent choice for both everyday and ceremonial tea drinking – warm, invigorating and fragrant.