Organic Shui Xian "Water Spirit" Oolong

$21.00 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.

Mineral Water

Pomegranate

Strawberry

Dried Fruit

Hint of Smoke

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.

Uplift

Mild Euphoria

Mild Energy Boost

Shui Xian 水仙 - A Classic of the Wuyi Mountains

Wuyi Rock Tea is a category of oolongs from China, it is the product of a unique location (Wuyi Mountains, Fujian) and centuries-old craftsmanship. Wuyi tea became celebrated as early as the Tang Dynasty, and rose to prominence as part of the Emperor's Tea Tribute during the Song and Yuan periods. By the 16th century its makers had developed the partially oxidized techniques that became the foundation of oolong tea. The result was a style defined by “rock rhyme and floral fragrance”—the deep mineral character and lingering aroma. These Wuyi Shan Teas are known for having a "mineral note" called Yan Yun (岩韵, "Rock Rhyme"), while maintaining delicate, fruity and charcoal roasted notes.

Shui Xian (水仙) is one of the cultivars at the heart of this tradition. An old northern Fujian variety, it was brought into Wuyishan and became one of the region's principal Rock Tea cultivars. Its large, substantial leaves are perfect for traditional Wuyi processing and roasting. It produces a tea with pleasant mouth-feel, mellow sweetness, and deep mineral character. Unlike a tea that relies on a single bright aromatic note, Shui Xian builds its character slowly, meaning the more of this tea you drink the more you begin to understand its full potential.

That depth is also why Shui Xian became so useful to modern Da Hong Pao blending. Today, Shui Xian cultivar is often used as a foundational component, providing the body and depth that allow more aromatic Wuyi cultivars to shine above it.

Our offering of this beloved and legendary tea, is from Panlan Tea Garden - a high mountain farm that sits between 850-1200 meters in the clouds. It is medium roasted, and a high quality organic offering that can easily stand beside the other teas in our catalogue.

Notes from Staff:

Having first tried Rock Oolongs many years ago, there is a certain charming quality about that mineral tasting note that other teas don't really possess. The warmth of the roasted leaves, the careful oxidation, the high mountain terrior, the multiple rounds of charcoal roasting, all of it combines to make a terrific Wuyi Tea, and this Shui Xian is a great way to gain access into the world of Fujian Oolong and Wuyi Oolong teas. Best brewed with very short 15-20s steeps - there is a lot of character in this tea!

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.

Read our full guarantee →

Organic Wuyi TeaOrganic 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 Shui Xian (水仙, "Water Sprite") is a large-leaf, semi-arboreal Camellia sinensis cultivar first documented in the Wuyi Mountains region during the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era (1821), though wild trees existed in Jianyang County for over a millennium and deliberate cultivation began as early as the Kangxi period (1662–1722). It is a clonal (asexual), late-sprouting variety noted for its drought-, flood-, and pest-resistance. Also notable is its ability to live for centuries, with bushes over 50 years old prized for a distinctive woody "cong wei" character. The cultivar was formally recognized as a national tea variety by China's National Cultivar Appraisal Committee in 1985 (registration no. GS13009-1985), ranking first among the country's 48 state-level tea cultivars.: Shui Xian(水仙) (literally,"water sprite")
Status About this status This tea is not hard to find, however its proximity to the more famous tea garden areas of Wuyi, and the EU/US organic certification mean that is is better than most on the market.: Fairly Common
Processing method: Medium Oxidized, Roasted 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.: (50% · Medium)

Region: Panlan Village, Yong’an City, Fujian Province, China
Harvest: Spring 2025
Elevation: 1075 meters
Climate: 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.: (45% · 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%