2022 Original Wulong Revival
Oolong Tea
Master Zhang – Daping
Crafted By Master Zhang
- DATE OF PICKINGMay 2022
- Daping VillageAnxi, Fujian
- ELEVATION1000 m
- Ben ShanTea Varietal
Master Zhang is a true innovator. He doesn’t make tea to follow trends. He experiments and takes risks to make tea better for the generations to come. This Original Wulong Revival uses the older Ben Shan varietal leaf and undergoes three times more careful hand turning and fluffing than modern Anxi oolong. For finishing, it is loosely rolled in the oldest style of oolong making that is half strip style and half ball, with many of the leaves more strip-style than rolled. Master Zhang describes the shape as a dragonfly. This hand processing and shaping yields a different tea- a genre of its own outside of Wuyi style, Guangdong style or Anxi style. The light roast is rewarding and brings out a unique savory sweet complexity we don’t see in other teas from Master Zhang.
- DATE OF PICKINGMay 2022
Tasting Profile
- savory - steamed bun, flaky pastry
- spice - cardamom, nutmeg
- fruit - yuzu, aloe
- floral - gardenia
- vegetal - spearmint, basil, cucumber
- texture - juicy, mouth-watering
Master Zhang also recommends:
- 2005 Aged Wulong RevivalThe “Dragonfly” style was the most traditional oolong finishing technique in Anxi before the rolled ball became popular. Master Zhang has been experimenting with this style for years as part of his work as a teacher and community leader for other farmers in Daping. Every year Master Zhang sets aside any interesting standouts for long term aging, which requires re-roasting every year to keep the moisture level as low as possible. The slow process of change brings out deep complexity and dark sweet undertones over many years. Master Zhang is sharing a portion of his personal reserve from early experiments for his revival project, giving us the chance to taste the first truly aged Revival Style Anxi oolong from Daping.
- 2021 Full Roast Wulong RevivalMaster Zhang’s classic Oolong Revival is full of deep rich cozy toasty overtones, enveloping the palate with a thick texture. This year for the first time, Master Zhang is complimenting all these cozy flavors with a deep dark roast which caramelizes the sugars in the leaves and produces beautiful dark sweet dessert flavor to the forefront. As always, Master Zhang’s expert roasting preserves the vibrant floral and fruity “core” of the tea without overpowering, a difficult feat to achieve after a full 24 hours straight of withering, turning and fluffing that is highly variable and dependent on each day’s specific weather.
- 2022 Special Grade Rou Gui Revival
Full of complexity and electric, powerful yun - the latest harvest of this special grade tea is here!
Master Zhang’s reserve designation is an almost impossible standard, requiring the perfect combination of high elevation rocky soil, cool stand-out weather during the growing season and on the picking and finishing days. Some years Master Zhang doesn’t designate a reserve or special grade for certain teas. It all depends on the final tea, which needs to satisfy a certain level of sweetness, a long lingering aftertaste, and thick balanced texture and evocative aroma. This reserve designation Rou Gui was hand finished using a very old, traditional technique that Master Zhang has been researching that involves three times the usual turning and fluffing and a difficult half-rolled half-twisted shape. The result is a textural sensation with a deep intensity.
Steeping Instructions
Western
5 g.6-8
oz.use 212° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
add 15-30 sec. each infusionGongfu
5 g.5 ozuse 212° watersteep 10 seconds
add 3 sec. per steepingenjoy many steepingsIced/Cold
5 g.12
oz.use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
8 hoursadd ice & enjoy
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