Notes of black sugar, pomelo peel, and Tellicherry peppercorn.

Oolong tea from Fujian, China・May 2018・碧石岩梅佔・Unsprayed

Bishi Meizhan is a true yancha (rock tea), grown and harvested from within the borders of the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, on a cliff called Bishi Yan, or “jade stone cliff.”

Meizhan teas have always been a part of Song’s tea collection is some capacity, ranging from white to red to oolong. This year’s meizhan is a return to the true origins of the variety and cultivar: a traditional Wuyishan twisted leaf cultivar with dark green leaves, tinged purple, and grown in the specific geographical region where meizhan originated.

True Wuyi teas must be grown in Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, and Bishi Yan sits on the northern side of the 70 square kilometer park, making Bishi Meizhan a true yancha or zheng yan. The government appointed preserve features pristine forests, a biodiverse array of natural vegetation, and unusual geology punctuated by pinnacles of rock. Tea bushes grow erratically, tucked into the valleys and terraces between the rocky crags. Due to the areas protected ecological status, the difficulty of trekking in and out to harvest leaves, and the low annual yield, true yancha teas are highly valued and create a competitive market. We acquired a scant 20kg of this limited tea.

Bishi Meizhan was hand-picked in late May of 2018 then withered, oxidized, and twisted before undergoing multiple rounds of charcoal roasting that stretched across several months. The result is a tea that is layered and complex, yet nostalgic in its classical body and tasting notes.

Brew: 7 grams・150 ml・212° F・1.5 min

Bishi Meizhan needs time to extract, especially after the initial brew. We suggest adding at least a minute to each subsequent brew of the tea. Please use the full recommended dosage. We found in our testing that larger dosages yields a round, smooth tea, whereas smaller dosages seems to - surprisingly - deliver slightly more astringency.