Originally picked in 2007, this Shui Xian Wuyi Oolong has been carefully re-roasted and rested each year for a decade. The aging and careful roasting has brought out beautiful complexity in this tea, pairing Shui Xian's compelling texture with the mineral sweetness and mustiness of age. Sweet savory and salty elements keep the brew cozy and compelling, while sweet florals and intoxicating, evocative aroma make us nostalgic for the Li Family's biodiverse tea groves. This unique selection is not to be missed.

The Li family’s position as community leaders and environmental stewards gives them the special privilege to pick from an old wild grove of Shui Xian trees, many over 100 years old that have been left untended for generations. This handful of special trees yield tea with a stunning complexity ad commending textural sensation. The deep roots pick up huge volcanic minerality, while the mossy wild environment encourages the tea to put out tons of polyphenols, meaning bigger complexity. Of course, for a tea this rare, Mr. Li personally hand-picks, oversees hand finishing in the yaoqing process and mandates at least five fifteen hour hand firing sessions over several months before allowing this tea to leave the workshop. This tea is a special opportunity to taste one of the most yun forward and complex Wuyi Oolongs out there, a work of passion for the Li siblings. Tasting notes don’t do justice as so much of this tea is in the texture and tingling almost numbing sensations that build up over multiple steepings.

The Wuyishan Ecological Preserve was established to protect the unique biodiversity of one of the most beautiful natural environments in China. The steep volcanic cliff faces, the old-growth evergreen forests and the lush bamboo are full of bird life, while the sweet mountain spring water nourishes ferns, wild herbs and of course, tea. Within this Ecological Preserve is Tongmu, an even smaller and even more protected region generally closed to outside visitors. Tongmu’s microclimate makes tea from the are some of the most in demand in the world. While the Li Family home in Tongmu is nestled against a mountainside growing wild with Xingcun Xiaozhong varietal, they also inherited a small grove of old-growth Shui Xian trees deeper into the preserve that have been left untended to grow essentially wild for several generations. They are about one hundred years old now, and grow at least 16 feet tall, some closer to 20 feet. These trees have super deep roots, absorb all the crazy volcanic soil nutrients, and have wild Wuyi moss that grows over the branches adding a super unique mossy quality to the tea. When Mr. Li picks these trees, not only does he finish all the yaoqing by hand, but he fires the tea in traditional baskets over a special clean burning charcoal from local hardwoods. The firing process is done three to four times and takes sixteen hours each pass. So you have one of the best microclimates in the world, old trees, deep roots, crazy biodiversity and the most ridiculous craftsmanship all coming together in one tea.