Built to last

I couldn't resist helping myself to another pot of Wu Yi Shui Xian yesterday. This time, I doubled the amount and crushed the tea leaves slightly to intensify the aromas and flavours released from this tea. This little trick I picked up by watching one of my seniors gently squeezing the leaves in her palm during tea class. The brew was definitely much stronger and absolutely flavoursome with a dark caramelised appearance. Smelling good!

I would usually dedicate at least 2 hours sipping this tea but had to cut short the session and resumed today. I left the tea leaves to soak overnight, something one could attempt with high quality leaves. To warm the tea a bit, I diluted the overnight contents with half portion hot water. This explains the lighter colour you see in the picture that follows. Not very conventional techniques described here, but certainly worth trying.

The open leaves very much look like baozhong tea leaves except with a higher level of oxidation. One can feel the rough surfaces of the soaked leaves which surprisingly tear very smoothly. Tough on the outside, delicate on the inside.

A hard to come by tea - Wu Yi Shui Xian

Of course my intention is not to discuss fake teas at length, but to warn readers beforehand that this indeed is a situation of high demand and low supplies that has resulted in an unbelievable array of dubious Wu Yi tea offerings out in the market.

With a genuine Wu Yi tea, you will notice a very distinct aroma in the dried leaves that smells rocky and carries with it scents of fleshy fruits, a highly penetrating warm circulation that you can experience most obviously in your palms, fingers and stomach and a mesmerising and enduring aftertaste that unfolds layer after layer like a red rose that transports one to the world of tea love and beautiful red rocks of the Wu Yi mountains.

This being a rather rare and pricey tea, I had to cut back on how much I use especially when there is no knowing if the next batch of tea becomes available. To complement this cha xi, I used my walnut-sized antique cups for today's brewing session. The small dimensions of these cups could also hint at tea being such a highly priced commodity that it is only consumed in small volumes. Good teas must be cherished!

Supposed Wu Yi teas flood the markets and often come in different brands and forms, from tea bags to loose tea leaves. My experience with this tea has been limited because of my hesitation in buying. In practice, you will come across more imitations than you would have hoped for. If you are lucky, you can get away with a halfway drinkable tea. Otherwise, you end up binning burnt teas that carry a high price tag.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch: Ein seltener Tee - Wu Yi Shui Xian