Shui Jin Gui 水金龜
Spring 2014 / Box (32 grams)
$88.00
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Shui Jin Gui 水金龜
$88.00
Shui Jin Gui, or “Water Golden Turtle,” is one of Wu Yi Shan’s traditional Yan Cha cultivars. This Spring 2014 tea comes from Liu Xiang Jian in Zheng Yan. A volatile cultivar that demands close attention during making, Shui Jin Gui can develop an intense aroma, subtle fruit notes, and a deep body when handled well.
This tea’s region can also be experienced in the field through the Educational Tea Tour — Wu Yi Shan.
Tea Drunk ClassicThe best tea of each vintage.
- TypeWu Long · Yan Cha
- TerroirWu Yi Shan · Fu Jian
- CultivarShui Jin Gui
Shui Jin Gui is one of the celebrated traditional Yan Cha cultivars of Wu Yi Shan. Its name, “Water Golden Turtle,” is associated with its rounded leaves and a Qing Dynasty story in which moving soil carried a tea tree from one lot to another, leading to a costly property dispute. More volatile in making than a stable cultivar such as Shui Xian, it requires attentive craftsmanship and favorable conditions; when successful, it is aromatic, subtly fruity, and deep-bodied. This Spring 2014 tea comes from Liu Xiang Jian in Zheng Yan.
The Three Pillars · 水金龜
Place · terroir
Liu Xiang Jian (Flowy Fragrance Creek), Wu Yi Shan, Fu Jian Province
Plant · cultivar
Shui Jin Gui
Craft · type
Wu Long · Yan Cha
In the cup
This vintage
Spring 2014
Aromatic and subtly fruity with a deep, rounded body. Shui Jin Gui can be volatile in the making, but at its best it combines lifted fragrance with the mineral depth and long charcoal-finished structure of Zheng Yan rock tea.
Aromatic and subtly fruity with a deep, rounded body. Shui Jin Gui can be volatile in the making, but at its best it combines lifted fragrance with the mineral depth and long charcoal-finished structure of Zheng Yan rock tea.
The making
Shui Jin Gui is one of those varietals with an ultra-short window for optimal fermentation, making it extra receptive to temperature and moisture during crafting. Yan Cha tea is made with only the leaves, making it one of the latest teas to be harvested each year, with Ban Yan picking time around early to mid-April and Zheng Yan early May. After the teas are sufficiently wilted, they remain on bamboo trays for a few hours before being shaken or tumbled to manage enzyme activity. This step regulates how the water inside the leaves travels outward. The process is repeated every hour, 5-8 times throughout the evening and night until morning. Once the leaves reach the desired fermentation stage in the early morning, they undergo Sha Qing. They then go through Zuo Xing, where they are rolled into string shape. The most tedious step in all Chinese tea making is the stem-picking step, which in Yan Cha's case takes place for several months following the rough tea making. It is a step where undesired yellow leaves (old leaves) and stems are picked out by hand. The "cleaned" tea is then roasted on very dim charcoal ash for 8–12 hours, 1-3 times depending on the varietal, to make it a finished Yan Cha.
How to brew
History & significance
Shui Jin Gui translates to water golden turtle. It is a famous Ming Cong and is considered a tea maker's tea. Due to the popularity of Yan Cha, the True Cliff region has slowly been "expanding" in the past decade, but the most desired lots are still marked by the tiny area surrounding Three Pits and Two Creeks. Our Shui Jin Gui is crafted in one of the Two Creeks: Liu Xiang Jian (Flowy Fragrance Creek).