Wu Sandi Shui Xian 吴三地水仙 (2025)
Tea Profile
Type: Wuyi Rock Tea (Yancha, High Mountain area)
Location: Wu Sandi Village (吴三地), Yangzhuang Township, Wuyishan, Fujian, China
Altitude: Approx. 800–1,200 m
Harvest Date: May 2025
Cultivar: Shui Xian (水仙)
Age of Tea Bushes: Over 40 years
Roasting Level: Medium charcoal roast
The Story of This Tea
Our Wu Sandi Shui Xian comes from a secluded mountain village deep within the Wuyishan Nature Reserve. I remember my first visit, mist drifting between the old trees, and the quiet call of cuckoos echoing across the valley. The tea bushes here are more than forty years old, part of a lineage of over two thousand ancient Shui Xian plants in the area. Their roots cling to rocky, mineral-rich soil at over eight hundred meters, absorbing clean mountain air and spring water.
This tea is not from the traditional Zhengyan core but from what we call the high mountain (Gaoshan) area, its character purer, more floral, with the elegant strength of altitude. My husband Mr Zhou personally handled the medium charcoal roast, guiding each stage patiently by hand. We still dry the leaves on woven bamboo sieves, feeling their fragrance rise as they rest overnight. It is a slow and mindful process, preserving the wild spirit of the mountain.
Aroma and Flavour
Wu Sandi Shui Xian is a study in grace and precision. The aroma blooms with orchid and magnolia, underpinned by light wood and honeyed stone fruit. The liquor is smooth and golden-amber, offering a refined sweetness and a soft mineral touch that lingers like mountain mist. Compared with our Floral Shui Xian from the Zhengyan area, this high-mountain version feels cleaner and brighter, its fragrance lifting delicately in the cup.
- Aroma: Orchid, magnolia, gentle wood, and honey
- Flavor: Sweet floral notes with light roasted nuts, minerals, and a hint of apricot
- Texture: Silky and rounded, with high-mountain clarity
- Aftertaste: Lingering orchid and mineral sweetness with soft cooling yun 韵
- Steeping Endurance: 7 to 9 infusions
Brewing Guidelines
Gong Fu Style
- Teaware: Zhuni 朱泥 or Hongni 红泥 Yixing teapot, or porcelain gaiwan for clarity
- Ratio: 6 – 8 g per 100 ml water
- Water: 95 – 100 °C, ideally low-TDS (soft) spring water
- Infusions: Quick rinse, then 5 s / 8 s / 12 s for the first three rounds, increasing gradually thereafter
Western Style
- Teaware: Porcelain or glass teapot; a small Zini 紫泥 pot adds warmth and depth
- Ratio: 3 – 4 g per 250 ml water
- Water: Around 95 °C
- Steeping: 2 – 3 minutes for the first brew; extend time for subsequent steeps (up to 3 resteeps)
Why Choose This Tea
Our Wu Sandi Shui Xian embodies the purity of Wuyi’s high mountains, old bushes, ecological farming, and hand roasting by Mr Zhou. Its orchid fragrance and sweet mineral balance capture the clarity of mountain air, offering a true taste of Wuyi Rock Tea beyond the Zhengyan core. For those exploring authentic Chinese tea, this is an elegant example of high-mountain Shui Xian craftsmanship, clean, aromatic, and deeply soothing.