Forgotten Oolong

Introducing the 2025 harvest of a new to us Yancha (or rock tea) from the famous WuYi region of Fuijan Province.

Forgotten oolong, what happened?

Simply, it arrived in the busy festive period and I forgot to create this listing.

The Yan Cha name simply means it is grown in rocky terroir, the rich soil in this area offers sought after mineral notes through the tea.

This Forgotten Oolong is a qilan cultivar (think grape varieties in wine, but tea form), and the Yan Cha part means it is grown in rocky terroir.
The rich soil in this area of WuYi mountain offers sought after mineral notes which emerge through the tea.
The resulting tea is sweet, creamy and smooth with a hint of that yancha mineral note.
Perfect for these chilly days.

The dry leaf smells of toasted warm caramelised nuts, when wet the leaves release an amazing intense sweet aroma, which dances with so many notes it is hard to pinpoint just one.

Plums come to mind initially, hint of tart crab apples and a light slightly spicy note reminiscent of bog myrtle.

A gorgeous amber liquid fills the cup, and on first sip your senses are flooded with deep toasted flavours. There is an intense sweet end note to this liquor.

The minerality of this tea lingers around the edges creating a lovely slightly sweet and lingering after taste.

These leaves just keep on giving, the intense flavours do mellow slightly as you get further into the infusions, and the sweetness builds on your tongue.

How do I prepare this tea?

For Western style brewing

Use 2g of leaf to 300ml of water (china tea cup size).
Bring the water to boil, then pour over the leaves.
Infuse for approx 3 minutes.
Leaves used this way can be reused up to 3 times.

For Gong Fu or Chinese style brewing

Use 4g of leaf to 150ml of water (general gaiwan size).
Bring the water to the boil.
Then pour over the leaves, wait 10 seconds and decant your tea.
Leaves use this way can be reused at least 6 times.  Increase infusion times by 10 seconds on each subsequent infusion.

These are intended as a guideline only, everyone is different.
We encourage you to play with different water temperatures and infusion times.

Store in a cool dry place away from sunlight.

Ingredients: Camellia Sinensis