Wuliangshan, Nanjian County, Yunnan Province, China
Cultivar
Ruan Zhi Wu Long
Elevation
2100m
Steeping instructions
Water Temperature: 90-95˚C / 194-203˚F.
Steeping:
- Gongfu style: 1g : 20-25ml, 5s, 10s, 15s for the first 3 infusions, then gradually increasing the steeping time with each round.
- Western style: 1g : 80ml, 2min + 1min per infusion.
- Bowl style (recommend using glass): 1g : 80ml
- Cold brew: 1g : 150ml, 3 hours or longer.
Description
Grown at an elevation of 2100 meters on the pristine Wuliang Mountain in Yunnan, this black tea is crafted from the Ruan Zhi Wu Long cultivar, a tea tree variety with a remarkable history. This cultivar originated from “Ai Jiao Wu Long” (Short Foot Oolong) in Anxi, Fujian, which was introduced to Taiwan in 1855 by Lin Fengchi. Over time, it was carefully cultivated and developed in Taiwan, becoming known as Ruan Zhi Wu Long (Soft Branch Oolong), referencing the tea plant’s characteristic soft branches. In 2000, this treasured cultivar was introduced to Wuliang Mountain, where the high-altitude environment, fertile soil, and unique climate conditions fostered its growth.
While spring leaves are traditionally processed into Taiwanese-style oolong, the late-spring and early-summer harvest lends itself perfectly to black tea production. Leveraging years of refinement by Taiwanese tea masters, this tea was harvested in June 2024 and crafted using a specialized black tea technique tailored to the local terroir. It combines the aromatic elegance of the Ruan Zhi Wu Long cultivar with the robust, full-bodied character of Yunnan’s highland terroir.
The liquor is bright and rich, with a pronounced floral aroma. The taste is smooth and full-bodied, delivering a harmonious balance of fruity sweetness, mellow depth, and a clean, lingering finish. The tea remains refreshing and flavorful over multiple infusions, with little to no bitterness or astringency. Enjoy this rare black tea — a perfect marriage of tradition, innovation, and terroir.
This tea was made for aftertasting, and that's just what I'll do... Lovely hui gan. It comes as pretty impressive in the nose and in the throat, a real spicy Bulgarian rose explosion, but a lot less happens in the mouth,… more
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Estate) from MyTeaPal Club
Dry leaves : single, small, twisted and slightly rolled leaves. Very dark brown color with few golden details, high oxidation. Hint of oatmeal cookie, digestive, shortbread, milk… more
rosa
mimosa
caramello
malto
uvetta
porto wine
cannella
liquirizia
quercia
Jenn A Whitecloud
1y ago
Enjoying a cup with friends. Heady flavors of rose, bay leaf, oily, cream, mineral, sour. For me, not a drinker but more of sipping for tasting experience.
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
A heady flavors that are not necessarily a simple drinker. Interesting, thick, oily, rose, bay leaf, all spice, cream, mineral, and sour. Lasts many steepings
mineral
cream
bay leaf
rose
allspice
sour
Maria
1y ago
Lovely meeting today; drank the Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red. I thought it was a very interesting red tea because it tasted like honey and more like roses and allspice.
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
What an interesting tea. Sweet like honey, with hints of rose and allspice.
sweet
honey
floral
rose
spicy
allspice
nutmeg
Christian Wicks
1y ago
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
sweet potato
spicy
cinnamon
Katherine
1y ago
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
The aroma is fantastic! It's probably the best aroma of any tea I've had in quite a while; the rating is mostly for that. The taste is boring and a bit mineral, but it's not unplea… more
floral
pear
mineral
sweet
Maren Pressinger-Buchsbaum
1y ago
Prefer steeps longer than 20 sec- warm honey, cacao with a little cinnamon
First quiet tea session in days 🤎
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Sommer) from MyTeaPal Club
Kakao
Honig
Zimt
Kurt Johansen
1y ago
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
0 TDS distilled water with TeaCurious Original recipe to make 50 TDS water.
Good. I might like other teas from this month's club a bit better, but still good enough I would buy oc… more
sweet
cocoa
burnt sugar
fruity
tomato
floral
Collin Reilly Clark
1y ago
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
Alejandro Siles Bravo
1y ago
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
Very, very good Dian Hong. The last star is because it doesn't surpass my best Diang Hong in my collection but I would be very surprised if it did 😅
This is an extremely solid an… more
lemon
clove
sweet potato
molasses
cocoa
Matthew
1y ago
Super pleased with this tea, further review in the meeting concluded this hongcha had an almost oolong-like character, as well as an array of incredibly endearing qualities.
Wuliang Mountain Ruan Zhi Red (2024 Summer) from MyTeaPal Club
Eyes - Dry Leaf: long, tightly twisted, deep cocoa brown leaves with caramel streaks
Nose - Dry Leaf: cocoa, leather, and dried flowers/red fruits
Nose - Wet Leaf: red wine/tomat… more
