Use 7 gms of leaves, said Mr. Zhang. Or you’ll never learn to appreciate the heaviness that is Wuyi tea. There are 3 main varietals, which are Shuixian, Dahongpao (Big Red Robe), and Rougui (loosely translated as Cinnamon). Of these three main groupings, there are 10 or so major sub varietals, like my favorites Water Golden Turtle, etc. Though Dahongpao is the famous fabled varietal of the region and the most imitated by exterior forgeries, in reality, the other two varietals are much more revered by the local connoisseurs. A side by side comparison of these three revealed the differences, using the mountain top spring water. After a long discussion over which water is the best ( mountain top, river, well, or bottled spring water), of which of course mountain stream water being the clear winner, and why well water is the worse ( no movement), and which water is in advisable when it rains, and much other in depth tea-geek discussions, I get to taste the three varietals side by side. These are the best of the best. The Rougui is from the Main Cliff area, the competition Shuixian is from 70 year old trees at the mountain peak, and the Dahongpao is the 2nd generation version. Never mind pedigree though. Some surprising results ensued.
I won’t reveal what the results were. We will all taste them together at the Harvest Party!
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