Ma Tou Yan "Rou Gui" Zheng Yan Wu Yi Rock Oolong Tea

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea Leaves
Flavors
Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cinnamon, Dried Fruit, Honeysuckle, Mineral, Roasted, Sweet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 2 oz / 50 ml

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  • “I recently received the 2018 Spring harvest of this tea. I wonder if in previous years it was roasted slightly more than this year. This was a very light roast and the tea liquor produced during my...” Read full tasting note
    90

From Yunnan Sourcing

Ma Tou Yan Rou Gui 马头岩肉桂 (lit. Horse Head Rock Cinnamon) is a unique varietal grown in the “Zheng Yan” Ma Tou Yan 马头岩 area of Wu Yi. Zheng Yan (正岩) refers to the innermost protected area of the Wu Yi Heritage site. It’s a protected area separate from the scenic area and outsiders are not allowed inside.

The “Zheng Yan Growing Area” refers to these tea gardens: tiānxīn yán/天心岩, mǎ tóu yán/马头岩, huìyuàn/慧苑, zhú kē/竹窠, bì shí/碧石, yànzi kē/燕子窠, jiǔlóng kē/九龙窠, yù cháyuán/御茶园, yù huā dòng/玉花洞, shuǐ lián dòng/水帘洞, fo guó/佛国, táohuā dòng/桃花洞, guìlín/桂林, sān yǎng fēng děng děng/三仰峰等等.

Ma Tou Yan area is 425 meters high. Rou Gui varietal has been grown here for over 100 years and many of the bushes are quite old. The mineral taste of the Zheng Yan area is present in this tea. The processing style is a medium level of roast done respectfully over 2 weeks time. The taste is silky and sweet… roast taste is there but not strong and will fade over a few months. Nice thick body with a long lasting sweet cinnamon-like after-taste. Tea can be infused 7 to 10 times if brewed gong fu style.

If you are a fan of high end Wu Yi or Rou Gui in general this tea is a must-try!

May 2017 Harvest

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1 Tasting Note

90
77 tasting notes

I recently received the 2018 Spring harvest of this tea. I wonder if in previous years it was roasted slightly more than this year. This was a very light roast and the tea liquor produced during my sessions was far more on the honey color spectrum than the darker orangey-red shown here and on Yunnan Sourcing’s website. Oolongs remain my favorite tea, and the Zheng Yan 105 hybrid has been one of my all time favorites. This tea shares some similarities in that it is floral and fruity, but not to the degree of Zheng Yan 105. This Rou Gui had a very light roasted aroma with a heady honeysuckle scent. Comparing this to Zheng Yan 105, it had a brighter aroma but shared a lot of the same darker fruit cake notes. Comparing this to Anxi or Tie Guan Yin, it’s definitely darker and more roasted and has none of the vegetal notes. However, it is no where near the level of roast of Da Hong Pao. The light roasting and oxidation kill off the green tea notes and gives the first couple of steeps a little chocolate note and bit of that roasted marshmallow and malt taste, but that is soon gone, and it begins to deliver that classic Wuyi oolong mineral yan yun. I never experienced any bitterness nor astringency. I drank this with a meal, and went 10 rounds with it in a little 50ml gaiwan. That was pushing it a bit too far, but it still delivered a little mineral taste till the end. I found this tea was more enjoyable with faster steeps of only 5-10 seconds and then slowly building to over a minute toward the very end. I enjoyed this Rou Gui quite a bit. I have some far more expensive Rou Gui coming in, so it will be fun to compare them in the near future.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cinnamon, Dried Fruit, Honeysuckle, Mineral, Roasted, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 2 OZ / 50 ML

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