Mei Zhan 梅占 (2010)
Tea Profile
Type: Wuyi Yancha (Rock Oolong)
Location: Da Shui Keng 大水坑, Wuyishan, Fujian Province
Altitude: Around 800 m
Harvest Date: April 2010
Cultivar: Mei Zhan 梅占
Roasting Level: High charcoal roast (final roast in 2015)
The Story of This Tea
This tea has followed me for 15 years. I made it from our family’s 2010 spring harvest in Da Shui Keng and sold it the following year to a customer in Beijing. It travelled back to Wuyishan in 2015 when he asked me to roast it again, and after that it returned to Beijing for long-term storage. Early in 2025 he sent me a small amount back, allowing me to revisit a tea that has quietly accompanied my own journey in tea making. This is not just a story but something that truly happened, and the tea carries that history in its depth. Even after four charcoal roasts in 2010 and another in 2015, the tea shows clear charcoal marks yet no charcoal taste. Instead, you taste time itself.
Aroma and Flavour
This aged Mei Zhan has a distinctive plum fragrance, exactly like the sweet-and-sour Chinese plum juice many people love. The liquor is thick, clean, and rounded, with a pure tea aroma and a light aged note that is dry, elegant, and free of any dampness. Over-roasting from my husband’s early roasting years left tiny black tea foam, but the long aging has softened it into something deep and mellow. It is a rare experience for anyone who enjoys the Mei Zhan cultivar or wants to understand how true natural aging shapes Wuyi tea.
- Aroma: Plum, aged sweetness, soft charcoal depth
- Flavor: Sweet-and-sour plum, clean aged clarity, mellow charcoal warmth
- Texture: Thick, smooth, pure, with excellent body
- Aftertaste: Long, sweet, rounded, lightly tangy
- Steeping Endurance: 8 to 10 infusions
Brewing Guidelines
Gong Fu Style
- Teaware: Zini 紫泥 for depth and warmth, or Zhuni 朱泥 to brighten aroma. Porcelain gaiwan for a transparent, honest expression.
- Ratio: 6 to 7 g per 100 ml water
- Water: 95 to 100°C low-TDS spring water
- Infusions: Quick rinse, then start with 5 to 7 seconds, lengthening steadily
Western Style
- Teaware: Porcelain or glass teapot
- Ratio: 3 to 4 g per 250 ml water
- Water: 95°C
- Steeping: 2 to 3 minutes, resteeping 2 to 3 times
Why Choose This Tea
This 2010 Mei Zhan is a true aged Wuyi tea, shaped by multiple roasts, clean long-term storage, and the passing of 15 years. Its plum fragrance, thick texture, and mellow aged sweetness make it unlike any fresh Yancha. It stands as a rare insight into the life of Wuyi Rock Tea and offers an authentic aged character that is both refined and deeply moving. A must-try for lovers of Mei Zhan or anyone fascinated by naturally aged teas.