Verdant Tea

Rare Varietal Wuyi Oolong Kit

Rare Varietal Wuyi Oolong Kit

Regular Price $83.25 $74.93
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This bundle includes five 25g bags of Wuyi tea for 125g total (25 sessions).

This bundle includes four 25g bags of Wuyi tea for 100g total (20 sessions).

Wuyishan is perhaps the most famous tea growing region in the world, and our partner Li Xiangxi and her family cultivate their award-winning oolongs in a perfectly-situated gorge along the Longchuan river within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, a pristine environmentally-protected region where biodiversity is key, and tea grows alongside wild bamboo, evergreens, and flowers.

Part of that biodiversity is about encouraging not just the widely known varietals like Rou Gui or Qilan to grow, but also making space for rare and difficult to find varietals not often seen or known outside of Wuyishan. Li Xiangxi believes that each varietal bring its own unique style to the pure expression of Wuyi minerality, and this sampler is a testament to those unique perspectives. Taste through five lesser varietals and discover a hidden side to Wuyishan.

This bundle includes 25g each of five different Wuyi teas for 125g total (25 sessions).

Wuyishan is perhaps the most famous tea growing region in the world, and our partner Li Xiangxi and her family cultivate their award-winning oolongs in a perfectly-situated gorge along the Longchuan river within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, a pristine environmentally-protected region where biodiversity is key, and tea grows alongside wild bamboo, evergreens, and flowers.

Part of that biodiversity is about encouraging not just the widely known varietals like Rou Gui or Qilan to grow, but also making space for more difficult to find varietals not often seen or known outside of Wuyishan. Li Xiangxi believes that each varietal bring its own unique style to the pure expression of Wuyi minerality, and this sampler is a testament to those unique perspectives. Taste through five Wuyi oolong teas - including famous cultivars and less-well-known varietals.

This bundle includes 25g each of six different Wuyi teas for 150g total (30 sessions).

Wuyishan is perhaps the most famous tea growing region in the world, and our partner Li Xiangxi and her family cultivate their award-winning oolongs in a perfectly-situated gorge along the Longchuan river within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, a pristine environmentally-protected region where biodiversity is key, and tea grows alongside wild bamboo, evergreens, and flowers.

Part of that biodiversity is about encouraging not just the widely known varietals like Rou Gui or Qilan to grow, but also making space for more difficult to find varietals not often seen or known outside of Wuyishan. Li Xiangxi believes that each varietal bring its own unique style to the pure expression of Wuyi minerality, and this sampler is a testament to those unique perspectives. Taste through six Wuyi oolong teas - including famous cultivars and less-well-known varietals.

This bundle includes 25g each of seven different Wuyi teas for 175g total (35 sessions).

Wuyishan is perhaps the most famous tea growing region in the world, and our partner Li Xiangxi and her family cultivate their award-winning oolongs in a perfectly-situated gorge along the Longchuan river within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, a pristine environmentally-protected region where biodiversity is key, and tea grows alongside wild bamboo, evergreens, and flowers.

Part of that biodiversity is about encouraging not just the widely known varietals like Rou Gui or Qilan to grow, but also making space for more difficult to find varietals not often seen or known outside of Wuyishan. Li Xiangxi believes that each varietal bring its own unique style to the pure expression of Wuyi minerality, and this sampler is a testament to those unique perspectives. Taste through seven Wuyi oolong teas - including famous cultivars and less-well-known varietals.

 Taste & compare across varietals: 

Bei Dou Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Bei Dou is named after the constellation the “Plow,” or the Big Dipper. This tea is most similar to Big Red Robe in terms of big bold flavor and deep resonant texture. The Li Family’s Bei Dou varietal is planted on a cool slope of volcanic rock for a deep minerality. Mr. Li’s insistence on long meticulous yaoqing turning and fluffing bring out big floral and fruit notes in this rare but tremendous offering.

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Yu Qilin Wuyi Oolong Tea (25g)

The Qilin is a mythical Chinese creature associated with wise benevolent rulers that has been compared to the unicorn, and the giraffe. This year’s harvest is remarkably spice-forward with incense aromatics and a tingling quality that builds up on the tongue over multiple infusions. The spice and complexity of the varietal and the tremendous microclimate within the Wuyi Ecological Preserve are heightened even more by Mr. Li’s generous hand-firing in the finishing process.

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Sparrow's Tongue Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Sparrow's Tongue, or Que She is named after the shorter, smaller leaves of this distinctive and uncommon Wuyi tea varietal. Sipping Que She is a strong example of "Yun": each infusion brings out more and more of an almost electrical tingling sensation on the tongue and back of the throat. This sensation is inherent to the highest quality leaf from older established tea stock growing in the right rocky conditions in Wuyishan, but it is brought out by slow low-temperature firing in bamboo baskets for fifteen hours at a time, resting several weeks and repeating four to six times. This year's Sparrow's Tongue Oolong has notes of dried mango, rose, chestnut and nutmeg. 

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Zheng Yan Su Xin Lan Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Su Xin Lan was near extinction in the 1980’s with so many farmers tearing out this rare cultivar in favor of Rou Gui and other more popular well-known teas with an established market. Su Xin Lan is starting to experience a revival, with the Li Family growing true “Zheng Yan” or rock tea Su Xin Lan planted within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve. Deeply cooling and aromatic with notes of frankincense and juicy melon. Toffee and brown sugar syrup, candied cherries, and a thick, deep, rich texture.

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Zi Mei Gui Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Zi Mei Gui, or “Purple Rose” is part of the Li Family’s commitment to cultivating rare and off-the-beaten-track varietals to preserve biodiversity within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve and to share with the students at the Yangxian Tea Institute as part of their tasting courses. Thanks to a long-standing relationship, we are lucky enough to bring in teas like this on a very small scale. Zi Mei Gui is appropriately full of notes of rose, along with persimmon, apple, sandalwood and toffee, with a bright juicy texture.

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Bai Ji Guan (25g)

Bai Ji Guan is a rare and unique varietal in Wuyi. The Li Family cultivates a small amount of Bai Ji Guan on their mountainside plot. This extremely light, beautiful, almost Dancong-like tea is full of the mineral notes that define Wuyi. It is thick and packed with unique vegetal undertones and florals. The Li Family's careful cultivation and roasting means gorgeous giant light-colored leaves and a bright crisp brew.

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Bai Mu Dan Wuyi Oolong (25g)

You might recognize “Bai Mudan” as a white tea. This intriguing harvest is Da Bai cultivar planted in Wuyishan and picked with the classic Bai Mudan mix of leaf and smaller buds, but finished as a roasted oolong. The result is fascinating - a tea with the buddy mouth-filling textural thrill of a traditional Fuding Bai Mudan, but with the minerality and deep roasted flavor of a classic Wuyi Oolong. The aromatics are full of orange zest and licorice root. The first infusions have a bright white tea quality with earthier burdock undertones and coriander spice. Later steepings are rich and aromatic like floral ginger, with hints of juicy blackberry.

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Zheng Yan Chun Gui Wuyi Oolong (25g)

One of Wyishan’s rarer teas, cultivated by only a handful of families, Chun Gui was only introduced in 2015 as a new hybrid varietal developed for its intense aromatics. While most families in Wuyishan focus on famous teas like Rou Gui and Big Red Robe, the Li Family works hard to represent a beautiful diversity of  cultivars, seeking out even the rarest teas like this one, all for the sake of encouraging biodiversity and for sharing with the students at the Yangxian Tea Institute as part of tasting courses. Thanks to a long-standing relationship, we are lucky enough to bring in teas like this on a very small scale. This remarkable tea has notes of candied ginger, sandalwood, orchid honey, calamansi and molasses with a vaporous billowing perfumed aftertaste packed with minerality.

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Jin Qian Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Jin Qian is a rare varietal that the Wu Family grows on one of their most prized mountain plots on a tiny terraced sliver of rock surrounded by untouched forest on all sides. This tea benefits from morning mist, mountain spring water and tremendous biodiversity, yielding a beautiful juicy pear flavor profile and deep mineral-laden complexity. The Li Family has to climb their mountain plot to hand-pick Jin Qian and rush the fresh leaves back to the workshop for a 30+ hour yaoqing and hand-firing process to bring out incredible depth and nuance. Jin Qian literally means "golden coin" a reference to the golden rounded leaves of the Jin Qian tea bush.

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Huang Mei Gui (25g)

Huang Mei Gui, or “Yellow Rose” is an intensely floral varietal with juicy tropical fruity notes to bolster the lilac and saffron. The Li family has meticulously fluffed and turned this tea over a 24 hour period to bring out the floral aromatics and give them lasting power through many steepings. Their subtle hand-firing process makes this as juicy and rich as a Tieguanyin, but with the deep incense and allspice undertones iconic of the region. The Li Family manages such a biodiverse plot, and it is a true joy to be able to taste lesser known varietals given the benefit of the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve’s volcanic soil and sweet spring water.

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Gold Medal Mu Dan (25g)

A new varietal for the Li Family to add to their portfolio of competition winners, this little seen Mu Dan oolong was finished to bring out an elegant silken texture with notes of tulsi flower, osmanthus, caramel, pineapple, cinnamon and eucalyptus. Li Xiangxi and her family consistently cultivate rare and off the beaten track varietals like this Mu Dan oolong as part of their commitment to tea research and education, but this special project was recently recognized at the local cha dou competition as a gold medal winner for its perfect silken texture and aftertaste.

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Rock Milk Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Rock Milk or Shi Ru is an uncommon varietal that the Li Family cultivates on their mist-shaded, mountain spring-fed biodiverse plot within the Wuyi Ecological Preserve. The naturally rocky elements of this tea come through even stronger as they take in the deep minerality of the volcanic rocky soil. As a rare offering, Mr. Li takes the time to bring out the rich mouthwatering lingering yun sensation of this tea through the hand firing at low heat for hours needed to bring out the very best. This varietal is an excellent chance to taste the terroir of the region.

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Gua Zi Jin Wuyi Oolong (25g)

This beautiful oolong smells like roasted pumpkin and semolina right out of the bag. Deep smoldering spice compliments the sweet pumpkin, along with notes of deep pomegranate. Through multiple infusions, the tea remains tightly composed, bright and sunny. As the aftertaste builds up, you can taste the beautiful stoney minerality of Wuyishan and the Li Family’s rocky soil.

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Huang Guanyin Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Huang Guan Yin is a hybrid varietal that can result form grafting Huang Jin Gui and Tieguanyin, completely distinct from the more well-known Jin Guanyin. While the “lineage” is the same as Jin Guan Yin, the results are stunningly different. This tea yields notes of ginger, white pepper, clover, chestnut and melon with a spicy aftertaste and lingering minerality.

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"Praised by emperors
and immortalized in poetry across the ages,
the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve
is the cultural epicenter of tea.

My family has been tending to wild bushes and farming old tea trees
within the preserve for generations.

Living in a place of such natural beauty, we have come to seek balance
in our agriculture and balance in our tea. We preserve the natural forest cover,
we use beyond-organic methods, and we finish our teas by hand in small batches
- all to honor the gift of the place we call home.

I invite you to take the time to taste in our tea the deep complexity, rich texture, and intense aromatics
that define the true heritage of the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve."

 

- Li Xiangxi 李享熹

Our Home: Tongmu, Wuyishan

tea plants grow on the slopes above our family home in Tongmu
our bamboo aqueducts bring spring water to tea plants and our family home

 

  • the most famous tea region in the world

  • wildly propagated tea bushes

    grow out of volcanic rock

  • biodiversity strictly preserved

    by National Park designation

  • established old-tree tea rootstock

  • rocky soil and sweet mountain springs

    for intensely textural teas

  • wild foraged and hand picked tea

    accessible only by family and local Tongmu natives

Our Family

 

Li Xiangxi, her brother, and her cousin work together as a team to manage the family’s wild-preserve teas in Tongmu & old growth varietal oolongs along the Longchuan river.

Li Xiangxi is an ordained Taoist priest, and founded the Yangxian Academy to teach Taoist tea ceremony as well as a philosophy of tasting and growing tea that is in harmony with nature.

While many investor-backed farmers ignored environmental laws in the early 2000’s, tearing out native trees to plant more tea, Li Xiangxi worked with her brother and cousin to reduce the family’s footprint when she inherited the land, encouraging rich wildlife and biodiversity. This effort has made her family pioneers in sustainable farming and local champions as the whole region becomes more mindful of its future and responsibility as the most famous growing region in the world.

Li Xiangxi and her family’s harvests amy be smaller, but their care in agriculture and their meticulous hand-finishing process have won them awards and inspired change throughout the region.

Li Xiangxi and her cousin work with wild foraged leaves at the family home in Tongmu
Mr. Li in the family's Old Tree Shui Xian grove

Our Teas and Craft

traditionally firing Wuyi oolong tea
tiny buds growing untended in Tongmu

We believe that tea should be part of daily ritual.

We finish each leaf with the care that it takes to create tea with lingering aromatics, intense aftertaste, rich engaging texture, and the elusive yun, or after-sensation.

We delicately tease out the aromatics through an 18 hour fluffing and turning processso demanding that our family can’t take the time to sleep when tea is being finished. We devote ourselves fully to the process and see it all the way through.

When our teas' aromatics are just right we lock them in with another 16 hour hand firing, a nearly lost art that we are working to maintain to bring out texture and yunin every leaf. After the initial firing, we rest our teas at least a month and often re-fire up to five time for the perfect balance.

Our dedication wins us gold medals annually at Wuyi tasting competitions, but more importantly, it honors the gift of tea that this incredible region gives us.

Hear our vision for tea

We aren’t in this business for money. We share tea as a connection to nature and as a cultural bridge. We work with importer Verdant Teabecause of years of friendship and deep shared values. We invite you to explore just a handful of videosfrom our time together.

If you are buying tea from one of the most famous regions in the world, video sharing the voices of the growers should be one of the most basic minimums from any importer.

Learn even more!

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