Old Grove Shuixian 2022

In the Southern Fujian Province there is a lesser known region, bordering Anxi in the South and Dehua in the North, called Yongchun. Yongchun has a surprising number of old grove tea trees that are now more than 60 years old.

This Shuixian comes from the White Crane Mountain Nature Reserve, located in the middle of Yongchun County. The tea trees on this mountain were planted in the 1960's, and most of them are around 60 years old. The rise in agriculture throughout the area in the 1990's, coupled with the sudden success of the Tieguanyin tea market, meant that almost all the tea farmers working with Buddha's Hand and Shuixian abandoned their trees in the mountains. The trees have since formed small groves, and have self-sustained, unattended in the wilderness, ever since.

Aside from its semi-wildness, the special thing about this Shuixian is the unusual way it has been processed. Most of the time Shuixian oolongs are roasted over charcoal for 4 rounds, however his Shuixian did not receive any charcoal roasting. Instead, it was baked at low heat very slowly, for over 30 hours.

This extended process has revealed qualities inherent to the Shuixian varietal we rarely experience. Without the charcoal notes colouring the tea, we see how sweet and woody this varietal is on its own. This more delicate process also emphasizes the unique terroir of White Crane Mountain, and the particular mineral quality it has imparted to the tea trees that grow there.

We were very pleasantly surprised by this experimental tea, and appreciate the opportunity to encounter this varietal in a new way. We still find the grassy complexity distinct to shuixian in the glass, balanced by the warmth, texture and depth of Old Grove oolong.