{"title":"Wuyi Cliff Oolong","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorthern Fujian oolongs, commonly known as \u003cem\u003eYancha\u003c\/em\u003e, or \"Cliff Oolongs,\" originate in and around the Wuyi Mountains. Their incredible minerality invites us to consider the dense, volcanic rock these tea trees grow on, and their complexity points to the distinct microclimates that make up the Wuyi Nature Reserve.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"tieluohan","title":"Tieluohan","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Half-Cliff Tieluohan comes from Xingcun, or \"Star Village,\" an ancient village located in the Wuyi City area, about a 20 minute drive southwest from the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve. Xingcun has a long history, as it has been a center for the distribution of teas from the Wuyi region since ancient times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTieluohan is one of the four most prestigious varietals of Wuyi rock tea. Amongst the Wuyi Cliff oolong varietals, it is famous for its rich and smooth mouthfeel. This one comes from an area within Xingcun called Caodun, known for its ecological tea farms and regenerative farming practices. The tea farm is located at 1600 ft elevation, and due to its relatively high location, experiences more clouds, mist and also sunshine than most of the Wuyi area, (it averages around 7-8 hours of sunshine per day, which is almost double the amount of most Wuyi rock teas!).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tea is crafted by a younger artisan, Fan Zhiqiang. Fan is a generational resident of Xingcun village. As a child, he watched his parents and grandparents trade and sell Wuyi Mountain teas. With this connection, he expresses a great love and passion for the landscape and the traditional teas that his hometown offers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a rich and satisfying tieluohan. It has dense, chocolate-like qualities that sit heavy and round on the palate. Through infusions its incredible mineral structure emerges, lifting this flavour upwards into the mid-palate. It remains smooth, sweet, and saliva-producing through many infusions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":32103855226985,"sku":"","price":30.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":32103855259753,"sku":"","price":60.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100g","offer_id":32103855292521,"sku":"","price":110.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/tieluohan1.jpg?v=1774038385"},{"product_id":"organic-shui-xian-oolong","title":"Organic Shuixian","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis organic Shuixian comes from Xingcun or \"Star Village,\" an ancient village located in the Wuyi City area, about a 20 minute drive southwest from the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXingcun has a long history, having been a center for the distribution of teas from the Wuyi region since ancient times. This Shuixian comes from a newer farm that has been practicing organic and regenerative farming methods for the past 18 years. It is crafted by Fan Zhiqiang, a generational resident of Xingcun, and a younger tea artisan who is passionate about his village's historical relationship with tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFan crafts his Shuixian traditionally, first oxidizing it, then roasting it over charcoal in 4 rounds, creating an excellent showcase, both of the Shuixian varietal and of regional techniques. The tea leaves are of very high quality, the oxidation is just right, and the roasting is not overpowering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe taste of this Shuixian is clear and clean. The flavours of oxidation appear first, and give way to characteristics from the roasting. This tea offers us a very precise experience of cliff oolong. It is simple and direct, which makes it excellent for comparative or everyday drinking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":32103878688873,"sku":"","price":28.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":32103878721641,"sku":"","price":56.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100g","offer_id":32103878754409,"sku":"","price":98.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/organicshuixian.jpg?v=1774038345"},{"product_id":"true-cliff-dahong-pao","title":"Dahongpao Jade Lion Cliff 2014","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis True Cliff yancha is a blend of three varietals: Rougui, Shuixian and Meizhan. Its name, \"Dahongpao,\" or \"Big Red Robe\" is a reference to a famous story that describes how Wuyi Mountain teas became protected tribute teas for emperors. It reminds us of the 6 original mother trees in this region, which were once cloaked in red robes at the request of the emperor, so that they would be cared for like an extension of his family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \"Dahongpao\" is an experimental tea, crafted to reference what the tea of Big Red Robe might taste like. While no one is allowed to harvest leaves from the original mother trees anymore, this tea comes by its name honestly: the artisan who crafts it is named Dahongpao, after original Wuyi Rock tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe modeled this tea after what people imagine Dahongpao would have tasted like almost a thousand years ago. It is True Cliff, from Qingshiyan, or \"Jade Lion Cliff,\" inside the boundaries of Wuyi Nature Reserve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQingshiyan (Jade Lion Cliff) is situated close to Shuiliandong (Water Curtain Cave). Its name reflects the shape of the Cliff, which looks like a crouching lion. The tea trees of Qingshiyan are shaded by bamboo trees and surrounded by a high diversity of flora and fauna. A stream flows continuously at Qingshiyan, throughout every season. The water accumulates at the bottom of the cliff, forming a small pool that is always present, whether it is winter or summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe craftsmanship of this tea acknowledges a generational understanding of what constitutes an excellent True Cliff oolong. The quality of the three teas used in this tea, as well as this experiment in cultural memory, make this yancha particularly captivating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is explosive on the palate, as the complexity of all three varietals come forward at once. Its exponential mineral notes wake up the senses, acting a bit like sake kasu or umami in that it makes us taste \u003cem\u003emore\u003c\/em\u003e. This opening and expanding quality is true for the energy of the tea as well: it has an extroverting effect, and one that broadens our awareness of what surrounds us. There is great imagination in this Rock Oolong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":32102739640425,"sku":"","price":95.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":32102739673193,"sku":"","price":185.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/dahongpao_e0ee756a-a6dd-4b2f-b80e-25ef6145eed1.jpg?v=1782428379"},{"product_id":"rougui","title":"Rougui 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe magnificent Wuyi Mountains, a protected Nature Reserve in Fujian, is home to some of the most treasured and highly sought after oolongs in China. An UNESCO World Heritage site, it famously consists of 36 peaks, 72 caves and 99 cliffs. Tea from this area is called yancha 岩茶, \"cliff or rock oolong.\" True yanchas are rare, as they come from the limited number of tea trees located within the Nature Reserve that are harvested according to ancestral rites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Shuilian Cave is the largest cave in the Wuyi Mountain Area. The cliff that the cave is located in is more than 300 feet tall, with two springs at the top casting over its edge. Clear water runs from these springs, passing over the mouth of the cave, year-round. From below, they appear like two floating dragons spraying ambergris over the mountains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe name of this cliff, Shuiliandong 水帘洞, is made up of three characters: \u003cem\u003eshui\u003c\/em\u003e is water, \u003cem\u003elian\u003c\/em\u003e means curtain or bead, and \u003cem\u003edong\u003c\/em\u003e is cave. And so the cliff is named for this falling water which hangs, like a beaded curtain, over the mouth of the cave. With the constant streams of water filtering through the cliff, continually feeding into the vibrant foliage below, we can imagine the mineral available to the roots of the tea trees there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis rich soil is well matched by the more robust varietal of oolong, rougui, that grows here. These rougui trees are around 25 years old. They grow on a small plot of land that belongs to the family of Pei Liyan; generational tea farmers who have ancestral rites to their land inside the Nature Reserve. The tea was crafted by her father, who has been crafting Rock oolongs for over 4 decades. It is made following traditional techniques, which includes being roasted in 5 rounds over the course of 4 months.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tea has the distinct delineating architecture of all rouguis. It seems to open on the palate like a structure built inside a cave. Inside of this mineral construction we taste purple flowers and peach notes. Its subtle complexities appear one after another, in a string of references, and continue for a long time, much like the beads of water that make up Shuilian's curtain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":39537288577129,"sku":"","price":45.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":39537288609897,"sku":"","price":90.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100g","offer_id":39537288642665,"sku":"","price":170.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/rougui_6e627039-fd20-468d-9b9c-c060a0693593.jpg?v=1774101723"},{"product_id":"true-cliff-shuixian-2007","title":"Sanyang Peak Shuixian 2017","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe magnificent Wuyi Mountains are home to some of the most treasured and highly sought after oolongs in China. An UNESCO World Heritage site, this region famously consists of 36 peaks, 72 caves and 99 cliffs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTea from this protected area is called yancha 岩茶, \"cliff or rock oolong.\" True yanchas are rare, as they come from the limited number of tea trees located within the Nature Reserve that are harvested according to ancestral rites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis particularly special yancha is from Sanyang Peak, the highest peak within the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve. The shuixian trees here are considered to be old grove, and have been harvested and crafted by Uncle Huang, a generational tea maker with over 4 decades of experience making yancha.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen describing the best yanchas, the Chinese use the phrase 岩骨花香, which loosely translates to \"cliff bone, floral fragrance,\" meaning that the yancha has cliff and mineral notes as its skeleton, and a floral perfume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis yancha achieves exactly this arrangement of rock and flowers. The liquor moves gently downwards, across the palate, and its taste extends for a long time. In this downward motion, we taste so many different inflections of cliff and stone, and with this erosion comes a cascading bouquet of flowers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs it descends the aroma of this tea shifts with every inhalation: woody, musky, mineral, floral. It has a sweet, lingering aftertaste with notes of cocoa, tobacco, apricots and tree sap. Its complexity leaves a lasting impression, as it seems to reference the remarkable biodiversity of the place from which it came. This is a powerful tea, but one that leaves us feeling serene.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":39712631783529,"sku":"","price":80.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/sanyang_peak_shuixian_2781a2ef-90b0-400a-962f-a6c3e89426a0.jpg?v=1782428362"},{"product_id":"yellow-rose-黄玫瑰岩茶","title":"Yellow Rose","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe consider Yellow Rose an experimental tea for a few reasons. One being that this rare varietal is a relatively new cross breed of two other oolongs, Huangguanyin (yellow cassia) and Huangdan, developed in 2002. Another being that, because this varietal is so delicate, its craftsmanship deviates from other True Cliff oolongs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis new varietal earned such a pretty name on behalf of its extremely gentle and sweet florality. Being so delicate, the roasting process for it requires careful attention otherwise it will be overpowered. The leaves must be roasted over a specific wood charcoal that burns at a lower temperature, and for a longer period of time. Therefore, only a very experienced artisan can craft this tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Yellow Rose was planted in the village of Wusandi 吴三地, 45km northwest of the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve. This is a famous tea village, situated at a relatively high altitude for the region, and famous for its Shuixian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe entire community in Wusandi collectively maintains traditional and regenerative tea farming techniques. They benefit greatly from the fact that the older generations in their village did not cut down the tea trees and work to ensure this happens for generations to come. This shared understanding has meant that the Wusandi villagers have been able to preserve an incredible number of old grove tea trees — something that we rarely see in famous tea regions nowadays. Even more unusual is that, planted amongst them, is this strange new experiment, Yellow Rose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYellow Rose is fascinating for oolong drinkers, as the stronger characteristics we associate with this kind of tea are all softened. This gives way to the nuances of rock oolong's more gentle, floral characteristics. The \"cliff\" is still present, but these softened mineral notes come on the finish, after we've tasted something very sweet and intensely pretty.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":40114211389545,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"50g","offer_id":40114211422313,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/products\/IMG_1891.png?v=1656960326"},{"product_id":"jade-qilin","title":"Jade Qilin","description":"\u003cp\u003eJade Qilin is a very special True Cliff oolong from within the Wuyi Mountain Nature's Reserve in Northern Fujian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe magnificent Wuyi Mountains, a protected Nature Reserve in Fujian, is home to some of the most treasured and highly sought after oolongs in China. An UNESCO World Heritage site, it famously consists of 36 peaks, 72 caves and 99 cliffs. This area is so treasured that each of its unique geological features has been depicted in writings and drawings for centuries. Tea from this area is called yancha 岩茶, \"cliff or rock oolong.\" True yanchas are rare, as they come from the limited number of tea trees located within the Nature Reserve that are harvested according to ancestral rites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe varietal of this tea, Yu Qilin, is extremely rare amongst the already rare Wuyi cliff oolongs. One from within the Nature Reserve is near impossible to come by. With gratitude for the connections that allowed us to source this tea, it is truly a privilege to be able to share it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYu Qilin, or \"Jade Qilin,\" is the name of a unicorn-like chimerical creature from ancient Chinese mythology. It is one of five auspicious animals whose appearance, ancient people believed, brought good fortune. The Qilin is a symbol of kindness and harmony, and is often used to describe people with integrity and high moral standards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe can taste this tea with great curiosity as to why it would be named after the auspicious Qilin. Perhaps it is on account of the rarity of this varietal's appearance. It could have something to do with the fortifying and generous characteristics of the tea itself, as the liquor has a medicinal quality that seems to speak directly to the body and its energy. It could also be an acknowledgement of the profound integrity of its taste: the tea produces a smooth and descending liquor, with a flavour so fused it is impossible to pull apart into individual notes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhatever it may be, the mystical name certainly suits this tea, whose slightly opaque liquor tastes neither floral nor architectural as we would expect, but rather seems to suspend something unlikely and unearthly within it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":40294638551145,"sku":"","price":80.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":40294638583913,"sku":"","price":160.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/jade_qilin_9fbec44a-e7b5-4fe8-b728-d45daea23efd.jpg?v=1782428361"},{"product_id":"gold-peony","title":"Gold Peony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Gold Peony is a true-cliff rock oolong, harvested from leaves grown on Bishi 碧石岩, or \"Jade Stone,\" cliff. Its name refers to an uncommon varietal, made from crossbreeding two famous Fujian oolong trees: Tieguanyin and Golden Cassia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGold Peony was first introduced in the Anxi region, but didn't gain much recognition until it found its way to the Wuyi Mountain area. It is an especially fragrant varietal, favoured by oolong drinkers who prefer a simpler, sweeter fragrance and lighter body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a delicate varietal, Gold Peony is traditionally more lightly roasted than most cliff oolongs. This one received 4 rounds of gentle charcoal roasting over a span of 6 months. It was completed in October of 2023, and aged for 1 year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe find this Gold Peony to be particularly balanced, with the depth of character we would expect from a charcoal roasted cliff oolong of this quality, animated by a sprightliness imparted by the varietal. It is so delicate on the tongue, it seems to flicker. Its taste leads with fruity notes, like peach and raw cacao, then mineral notes and nectarine pit come through in its long finish. This is an excellent choice for a high quality, 'everyday drinking,' cliff oolong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":49192835416344,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":49192835449112,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100g","offer_id":49192835481880,"sku":null,"price":135.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/615A2728_d3f00833-22c4-4c8d-8638-c2ed43f2c4eb.jpg?v=1731039243"},{"product_id":"shuixian-flower-fairy","title":"Shuixian \"Flower Fairy\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eFlower Fairy is a True Cliff Rock Oolong crafted from leaves grown on Bishi 碧石岩, or \"Jade Stone Cliff,\" within the Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve. With only two rounds of charcoal roasting, it is a lighter style Shuixian. This varietal is famous for its fragrance and floral after taste: you will not be confused as to how this tea got its enchanting name. The tea leaves were harvested in the spring of 2024, roasted in October, and then aged for one year to integrate the florality of the Shuixian and the grounding notes from the roasting. Lighter roasted rock oolongs tend to be slightly unbalanced, leaning very far into their floral qualities, but this Shuixian surprised us. The leaves themselves carry enough depth and body to feel balanced even with such subtle roasting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt brews a lightly golden liquor that is sweet and smooth, with metallic edges and articulate notes of cacao shells and violet. Roasted notes and minerality come forward through infusions, moving us out of a bed of flowers and into the cliffs from which this tea came. It's a relaxing and dreamlike journey that brings warmth and stillness to the body. The combination of purple flowers, wet stone, and ethereal affect feels like a midsummer night.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":50853805949208,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":50853805981976,"sku":null,"price":96.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/20251117_Cultivate_0963_HR.jpg?v=1764302447"}],"url":"https:\/\/cultivatetea.com\/collections\/wuyi-cliff-oolong-northern-fujian-oolong\/style-singular.oembed","provider":"Cultivate Tea","version":"1.0","type":"link"}