Lang Cai Shui Xian 浪菜水仙 (2025)
Tea Profile
Type: Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong
Location: Shen Yan Village (深垭), Phoenix Mountain, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Altitude: About 1000 m
Harvest Date: April 18, 2025
Cultivar: Shui Xian 水仙
Age of Tea Bushes: Over 100 years old
Roasting Level: Medium roast, three charcoal roasts
The Story of This Tea
This tea is locally known as Lang Cai, although the cultivar is Shui Xian. In Chaozhou, Lang Cai is a traditional name that refers not to a separate variety, but to a way of working the leaf. Lang 浪 means shake, and Cai 菜 refers to fresh leaves. Together, it describes Shui Xian that has gone through repeated shaking during processing to encourage controlled oxidation.
Shui Xian was the earliest widely planted cultivar on Phoenix Mountain, and many of the bushes still growing today were passed down through generations. These trees are over a century old, thick with moss, and deeply rooted in the mountain soil. After careful processing, this tea is baked three times using a traditional charcoal roasting approach inspired by classic Wuyi techniques. The result is a tea that favours depth, structure, and sweetness over high floral aroma.
Aroma and Flavour
Lang Cai Shui Xian is about substance rather than sharp fragrance. The aroma is calm and woody, and the liquor carries a richness that recalls aged oolongs and gently roasted rock teas. The colour in the cup leans toward a rose-red hue, similar to young red wine, with a clean and composed character throughout the session.
- Aroma: Old wood, warm charcoal, dry forest floor
- Flavor: Deep woody sweetness, gentle roast, subtle dark-fruit warmth similar to dried cherry or red wine skins
- Texture: Full-bodied, rounded, and smooth with weight on the palate
- Aftertaste: Persistent Cong wei 枞味 with clean returning sweetness and long durability
- Steeping Endurance: 8 to 10 infusions
Brewing Guidelines
Gong Fu Style
- Teaware: Zhuni 朱泥 or Hongni 红泥 Yixing teapot for warmth and structure, or a porcelain gaiwan for clarity
- Ratio: 7 to 8 g per 100 to 110 ml
- Water: 100°C, ideally low-TDS spring water
- Infusions: One quick rinse. Start at 5 to 7 seconds, then gradually increase by 3 to 5 seconds as the roast opens
Western Style
- Teaware: Porcelain or glazed stoneware teapot
- Ratio: 3.5 to 4 g per 250 ml
- Water: 95 to 100°C
- Steeping: 2.5 to 3 minutes for the first infusion, with one to two gentle resteeps slightly longer
Why Choose This Tea
This Lang Cai Shui Xian comes from truly old trees in Shen Yan Village and reflects a traditional Phoenix Mountain approach that values body, sweetness, and longevity. With its triple charcoal roast and pronounced Cong wei, it offers a distinctive alternative to high-aroma Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong, appealing to drinkers who appreciate depth, woody character, and a composed, wine-like liquor.