A Full Rock Zhengyan Rou Gui from the historic Lotus Peak in Wuyi. Elegant yet punchy with bright, fruity minerality, an abundance of Yan Yun (Rock Rhyme) and a deep body sensation.
This is an authentic (there are many fakes) Lian Hua Feng (Lotus Peak) Rou Gui from the core Zhangyan scenic area of Wuyi.
Lian Hua Feng is one of the most famed areas of Wuyi for producing Rou Gui (alongside Ma Tou Yan and Niu Lan Keng). The gardens on this craggy peak have the perfect natural environment for making the top-shelf teas with mineral-rich soil, frequent mist and cloud cover and abundant rainfall.
Consequently, Lian Hua Feng has built a reputation for Rou Gui and with reputation comes a price increase, but, in my tastings, I often feel that the quality of the experience of teas from these famous Zhengyan gardens does not justify the price. This is especially evident when blind tasting against other, more affordable Banyan teas grown just outside the core scenic area of Wuyi.
However, when you find a great Zhengyan tea, there is something undeniably different to its character. When I tasted this Lotus Peak Rou Gui I felt its power, and I had to include it in my collection.
The greater the tea, the harder it is to describe its greatness because its qualities are more of a combination of many aspects into a unique experience rather than a list of distinct flavour notes.
This Lotus Peak Rou Gui leads with minerality. Yes, it has gorgeous aromatics of brownies, cherries, mangosteen, coconut and lacquered woods, but when that liquor hits your mouth, the brightness of molten rocky minerals takes centre stage.
It starts at the tip and sweeps across your tongue, coating your mouth with a vibrating mineral sheen and leaving a little catch in the throat. You don't really taste the tea until this mineral starts to sublimate into a fog of fruity flavour - nectarines, guava, grapefruits and mango.
The robustness of the library, wet woods, slate, and resin emerge to make it clear that this is a bold Yancha. Still, the overall character is bright, with zesty fruits and a dusting of icing sugar, accompanied by pieces of meringue.
Then you take another sip, and the minerals sweep your mouth again to reveal more fruits and more spices. It is such an enjoyable experience to have your mouth reset with every sip and for the character of the tea to emerge from the mineral mists over many infusions.
So, this Lian Hua Feng Rou Gui gives you a different Yan Cha experience, which, I think, is mostly reserved for the extreme minerality of Zhengyan tea. It is forceful and fierce yet elegant, playful and teasing in its flavour evolution.
Almost immediately, you can also feel that this tea has power. The body sensation is strong, woozy and warming. In my sessions, this tea has also made me feel quite emotional and sentimental - like I am being embraced with a tight yet tender hug from someone special.
Yes I am getting abstract, but as I said, this is what great teas can do.
