Organic Fo Shou "Buddha Hand" Oolong

$35.00 USD

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Tasting notes

About these tasting notes

These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.

Buddha Hand Fruit

Jasmine Rice

Walnut

Graham Cracker

Citrus

Effects

About these effects

These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.

Relaxation

Refreshment

Focus

Fo Shou - Tea named from a legendary fruit

Fo Shou (佛手), literally translated as "Buddha's Hand," is a distinct tea cultivar in Taiwan recognized for its characteristically large leaves. The name refers to the large, fingered shape of the Buddha's Hand citrus. There is a lovely hint of citrus with the first few steeps that tastes similar to this exotic fruit. While the cultivar originated in Fujian, China, it was introduced to Taiwan by settlers and is now primarily cultivated around the center of the island. This cultivar has small yield, is hard to grow, and is often ignored for easier growing tea cultivars such as Jin Xuan, or Si Ji Chun. As a result, this offering is both rare, and of exquisite quality, making it a must-try for any tea lover.

In Taiwan, Fo Shou is usually processed into a few distinct styles, ranging from lightly oxidized, ball-rolled green oolongs to black teas scented with the actual Buddha's Hand citrus fruit itself. This particular offering has notes of honey, stone fruit, and dried apricot, and is from Yu Shan mountain in Taiwan, the highest in the island. Moderately oxidized, and roasted, this is a rounded, yet complex cup of tea, with layers of flavor that unravel with each infusion of the leaves. Flavor notes are toasted nuts, dried fruits, and a note of biscuit, or graham cracker, with a hint of candied lemon peel.

Notes from Staff: Another heritage Taiwanese tea cultivar, this tea changes over the course of a session with the first steeps offering a citrusy brightness that eventually dissoves into a beautiful toasted aroma. You can get 12 infusions from this GongFu Cha-style, or a solid 3 infusions with a teabag Western-style. With the same tea, you can easily identify many tasting notes of your own since the complexity of flavor is immediately apparent.

Most tea today is roasted using an electric method, because it is faster, cheaper, and requires less skill, thus making it more consistent. This tea was roasted the traditional way: by an artisan's hand, over charcoal embers, using low heat over the course of many days under careful supervision. It takes far more knowledge, fuel, and time than electric roasting, but it rewards the tea with deeper flavor and the ability to age gracefully for decades.

Old Mountain Tea Guarantee

Our teas are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals. We source directly from small, clean family farms that take real pride in their work — no middlemen, no anonymous blends. Many of these teas are bug-bitten, and leafhoppers only feed on gardens grown without pesticides, so the leaf itself is living proof the garden is clean. Most of our teas are certified organic (USDA & EU), and every tea is traceable to the farm that made it.

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Rare Cultivar, High MountainOrganic FarmsSmall Batch ProductionHand-harvested & ProcessedNo Added Flavors or Preservatives — Ever!Secure Checkout30-day Returns

Certified Organic — USDA & EU

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Origin & Terroir

Cultivar About this cultivar Fo Shou (佛手) is a rare Fujian heritage cultivar whose Taiwanese lineage traces back to Anxi, where it is also known as Xiang Yuan (香櫞). It was introduced to Taiwan long before the modern TTES numbering system, so it has no Tai Cha number; today, plantings are scattered and limited. Its genetics are particularly unusual: although Fo Shou produces exceptionally large leaves, Taiwanese DNA research places it within the small-leaf varietal group, and theorizes that genetic abnormalities are the reason for its big leaf appearance.: Fo Shou(佛手) (literally, "Buddha's Hand")
Status About this status This cultivar is rare in the world of tea, due to the fact most farmers see small yields from this tea. While Jin Xuan, or Si Ji Chun can grow up to 4 times the amount of final tea product. Because of this, we see fewer and fewer tea farmers choose to plant this tea every year.: Rare
Processing method: Medium Oxidized Oolong
Charcoal roast level Why charcoal roasting costs more Roasted by hand over low charcoal embers across multiple sessions and days, far slower than electric roasting. It deepens flavor and lets the tea age well, which is why charcoal-roasted teas cost more.: (40% · Medium)

Region: Tongfu Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Harvest: Spring 2025
Elevation: 1650 meters
Climate: Misty, Humid, Mountainous
Oxidation level What oxidation level means Oxidation is what turns green tea into oolong or black tea — as leaves are bruised and rested, enzymes react with oxygen and deepen their color and flavor. Green tea sees almost none; oolong ranges widely; black tea is oxidized fully.: (35% · Medium)
Picking style Why picking style matters Hand-plucking means workers select each bud and leaf by touch, one at a time — far slower and more expensive than machine harvesting, but gentler on the leaf. As labor costs rise, fewer gardens still pick this way, making hand-plucked tea increasingly rare.: Hand Plucked
Bug-bitten level: 0%