Ma Tou Yan Old Bush Shui Xian 马头岩老枞水仙 (2025)
Tea Profile
Type: Wuyi Yancha (Rock Tea)
Location: Ma Tou Yan, Wuyishan, Fujian, China (National Park)
Altitude: Around 600 m
Harvest Date: May 2025
Cultivar: Shui Xian 水仙
Age of Tea Bushes: About 80 years old
Roasting Level: Four charcoal roasts, traditional style
The Story of This Tea
This Ma Touyan Old Bush Shui Xian (马头岩老枞水仙) comes from Ma Tou Yan, one of the core cliff areas of Wuyi Mountain. The tea grows in sandstone and gravel-rich soil, naturally high in minerals, which gives the tea soup depth, structure, and a clear rock backbone. The bushes are around eighty years old, with deep roots anchoring them firmly into the cliff terrain.
The tea garden receives generous sunlight throughout the growing season, helping to build concentration and fullness in the liquor. During the first charcoal roast, the old bushes expressed a strong mossy character from their lichen-covered trunks. Rather than selling the tea at this stage, we chose patience. Through four rounds of traditional charcoal roasting, the sharper green and mossy edges softened, allowing woody warmth, viscosity, and balance to come forward.
When the cup is warmed and the leaves are gently awakened in the gaiwan, a calm woody aroma fills the air immediately, joined by a refined vegetal umami that signals mature, high-quality leaf. After resting, the charcoal aroma integrates fully with the tea’s own fragrance, revealing a silky texture and composed depth. This is a tea that rewards time and attention.
Aroma and Flavour
This Old Bush Shui Xian shows the quiet confidence of age and settled roasting. It opens with wood and warm grain, carries a savoury undertone, and gradually unfolds into sweetness and mineral depth. The profile is calm, rounded, and deeply satisfying rather than forceful.
- Aroma: Warm wood, charcoal, dried leaves, subtle umami
- Flavor: Woody sweetness, mineral depth, gentle savoury notes similar to roasted barley or light vegetable broth
- Texture: Silky, viscous, and smooth across the palate
- Aftertaste: Clean mineral resonance with returning sweetness and a calm, settled finish
- Steeping Endurance: 8 to 10 infusions
Brewing Guidelines
Gong Fu Style
- Teaware: Zhuni 朱泥 or Hongni 红泥 teapot to highlight roasted fragrance and smooth texture, or a porcelain gaiwan for clarity
- Ratio: 6 to 7 g per 100 ml water
- Water: 95 to 100 °C, ideally spring or filtered soft water
- Infusions: Brief rinse, then 5 to 7 seconds for the first infusion, 8 to 10 seconds for the second, lengthening gradually thereafter
Western Style
- Teaware: Porcelain or glass teapot. A small Zisha teapot may be used for deeper sweetness
- Ratio: 3 to 4 g per 250 ml water
- Water: About 95 °C
- Steeping: 2 to 3 minutes for the first infusion, then re-steep once or twice, adjusting time to taste
Why Choose This Tea
Ma Touyan Old Bush Shui Xian (2025) is a classic expression of Wuyi Rock Tea shaped by old bushes, mineral-rich cliff soil, and patient traditional charcoal roasting. The four-stage roast brings harmony between wood, sweetness, texture, and rock character. This is a grounded, mature Yancha for drinkers who value depth, restraint, and lasting flavour.