漳平水仙 Oolong Zhang Ping Shui Xian 10 Pieces

The Artisan’s Signature: A Tea of Timeless Craft

In the mist-laden hills of Zhangping County, Fujian, a masterpiece is born—one that carries the whispers of ancient tea bushes and the deft hands of a fading tradition. This is no ordinary tea; it is The Artisan’s Signature, a compressed square cake shaped by Intangible Cultural Heritage techniques, each piece a testament to patience, precision, and passion.

The Craft

The tea is sculpted from leaves plucked from 30- to 50-year-old Shui Xian bushes, their roots steeped in the mineral-rich soils of Fujian. But what makes these cakes extraordinary lies not just in their origin, but in their making. Within 48 hours of harvest, the leaves are pressed into delicate origami-like squares—emerald-green with russet edges—sealing in their essence before oxidation can dull their spirit.

Each 8-gram cake is then wrapped by hand in handmade paper, a craft upheld by only twelve families in Zhangping. This is more than packaging; it is the last flourish of an artisan’s touch, a silent vow that some traditions refuse to vanish.

The Taste: A Journey in Three Acts

Brewed at 95°C, the tea unfolds like a story.

First Infusion (15 seconds): The aroma rises—night-blooming jasmine tangled with the dewy sweetness of fresh bamboo sap. On the palate, it begins with the crisp chill of frozen lychee, melts into the comforting warmth of steamed glutinous rice, and fades with the whisper of young coconut.

Third to Fifth Infusions: The tea deepens. Wild mountain honey drips onto the tongue, followed by the rare, resinous kiss of sandalwood oak, a wood native only to Zhangping. The texture turns silken, vibrating with a quiet minerality, like rainwater slipping over ancient stones.

Beyond Seven Steeps: The finale is unexpected—a transformation into the cool, brothy umami of cold-brewed sencha, leaving behind a lingering orchid huigan, a sweetness that returns like a fond memory.

A Tea with a Past

Created in 1992 as a homage to the Nanyang export cakes of the 1930s, this style was born from necessity—a way to preserve fragile aromas during long sea voyages. Yet it has since become something more: a symbol of endurance. In Zhangping, these cakes are given as bridal dowries, a promise that fragrance, like love, should last.

Harvested in April 2025, just before the rains of Guyu, this tea carries the freshness of spring and the weight of history. To drink it is to taste the soul of Fujian—one steep at a time.