Shiguping Wulong | Tea Guardian

Shi-gu-ping ( Chinese language language: 石古坪, 又作石鼓坪, 另有考為石牯坪, 無定案 ) is the title of a village throughout the Phoenix (Fenghuang) space of Chao-an county in north-east Guangdong, China. It is acknowledged solely amongst a small number of tea aficionados for its oolong produced not from the Shuixian group of cultivars, nevertheless from a indigenous wulong cultivar so outdated and distinctive that it may be the oldest dwelling and producing strand of predecessor to the Minnan (observe) and Taiwanese groups.

a singular cultivar

The dominant cultivars used for every Wuyi and Phoenix oolongs are of the Shuixian ( Chinese language language Narcissus ) family of cultivars, be it the well-known Da Hongpao or restaurant grade Shuixian, or the tea connoisseurs’ well-liked good types of Fenghuang Dancongs ( Chinese language language: 鳳凰單欉, generally often known as Phoenix oolongs ). Shuixian produced oolongs, as pretty associated to the title, are additional bouquet ( when the usual is right ) and however unavoidably barely bitter and astringent, albeit to many tea lovers’ liking, along with myself. Oolongs produced from the wulong family of cultivars are a lot much less bitter and astringent, additional creamy in texture and usually even in model, however the bouquet fragrance not as floral nor distinguished. Some of us like that.

So we hunted out this tea — Shiguping Wulong ( 石古坪烏龍 )

Instead of going north from the town of Phoenix in course of Wudong, half an hour to the east up mountain is Shiguping, a distant village which fortune has not flourished with its tea as has been the rest of Phoenix. Extra up the mud freeway for about half a kilometre is Liaocuoya ( Chinese language language: 寮厝埡 )  the birthplace of the legendary oolong.

additional “fermented” than greener oolongs

In distinction to most of Taiwan or Minnan origins, the wulong of Shiguping is rather more oxidized. There’s a lot much less vegetative model to it. The aroma is additional “ripe” with accents of honey and fruits. The model is comparatively fuller, additional difficult.

I study sometime previously in just a few of China’s fairly just a few tea blogs that the leaves of Shiguping wulong are thinner than these of Shuixian. As in Chinese language language blogs of one other courses, as quickly as there is a saying, it obtained copied or parroted an entire bunch of situations by writers or web masters who actually really feel that they are too smart to jot down one thing genuine, and even truly analysis one thing. So the saying have shortly develop to be actuality by repetition, as far as the digital world goes.

thicker leaves — additional work in processing

Leaves of Shiguping wulong are, within the precise world, thicker than most Fenghuang Shuixian cultivars. That is the rationale they’re going to stand as much as the very typical technique of many rounds of shaking and bruising — yao qing ( Chinese language language: 搖青 ) all through the oxidation course of.

This additional difficult course of gives the tea its longer and fuller physique. I am not optimistic whether or not or not they’ll do the an identical in Taiwan or Anxi with the thicker leaves of a lot of the cultivars, nevertheless I am optimistic they’re going to do it a minimal of 1 or two rounds longer than they do for positive harvests to yield greater physique in model. Apparently, by means of my career in tea, I’ve solely seen oxidation becoming shorter in these areas.

shiguping wulong vs fenghuang dancong vs wenshan paochong

If I’ve to verify Shiguping with a Fenghuang Dancong and a Wenshan, I’d say the Dancong is additional sweet in aroma, the Wenshan and the Shiguping creamier, and the Shiguping comparatively sweeter. By means of model, the Dancong is by far most likely essentially the most difficult, the Shiguping the roundest and the Wenshan the smoothest.

Be taught the captions to the pictures to go looking out out additional regarding the comparative qualities.

typical prime quality reveals its true gentle

People who produce this oolong have made a selected various: respecting the customized in prime quality comparatively than following sample to chop again oxidation and baking for the extra floral aroma and up to date inexperienced model to please a lot much less seasoned tea drinkers.

This means additional work and worth for the farmer. Since their manufacturing is minuscule even amongst Phoenix oolongs, the possibility worth for producing a product for a shrinking inhabitants who can acknowledge this tea is extreme. However because of a lot much less of us know this tea, the farmers can not at all ask for prices like their mates do in Wudong. That is the rationale decrease than a handful individuals are nonetheless producing this wulong.

a improbable tea

Shiguping wulong is a unusual and delicate, round-bodied and actually improbable oolong from the Phoenix space. It is a good totally different to the dazzling beauty of dancongs. To an outdated tea tongue like myself, it is a good change of tempo and however with its delicate complexity and long-lasting clear aftertaste, even the very snobbish model buds of mine can’t complain.

observe

Whereas there are wulong cultivars in Taiwan and Minnan/Anxi areas, there are moreover totally different distinctive cultivars not of the wulong family nevertheless are designated for oolong manufacturing. Their model characters are completely totally different. One well-known occasion is the tieguanyin group of cultivars for the manufacturing of the terribly florally aromatic oolong collectively typically often known as Tieguanyin.