Below the Surface - Lao Cong Shui Xian

€12,00

Taxes included.

Creative Act
Wuyi Rock Oolong
Medium caffeine

Dark chocolate • Roasted cacao • Mineral finish • Wood • Cedar

The best discoveries are rarely made all at once.

about 10 mugs or 5 gongfu sessions

One cup becomes another. One thought leads to the next. Without noticing, you've wandered somewhere deeper.

Inspired by the legend of the Water Immortal and grown from old tea bushes rooted among the cliffs of the Wuyi Mountains, Lao Cong Shui Xian is a tea that unfolds with patience, revealing itself one layer at a time.

There is always more beneath the surface.

Using an unglazed Yixing clay pot or a ceramic gaiwan is highly recommended to fully unlock the dense, complex mineral layers of these old-growth leaves.

Parameters: 6-7g of tea / 100ml of water.
Water temp: 95-100°C (requires fully boiling water to awaken the old leaves).
The ritual: start with a quick, focused 10-15 second infusion. The old-growth leaves possess an exceptional capacity to hold water, rewarding you with 7-9 deep, heavy, and evolving infusions.

Western Style: 3 g / 250 ml · 95°C · 2-3 min
Leaves slowly saturate the water, releasing a deeply soothing, woody-sweet aroma that fills the room.

Body: dark, dense, rich, and velvety. Authentic Yan Yun (岩韻) - the "rock rhyme" mineral soul unique to cliff teas - gives the brew undeniable physical weight and structural depth.

Liquor: deep, glowing amber-gold, dark and beautifully concentrated in the cup.

Finish: long, rich, and intense. Occasionally rolls into a clean, cooling touch of camphor.

This cliff oolong undergoes a meticulous processing cycle. The leaves are partially oxidized to about 40-60% to develop its rich flavor precursors.

Following rolling and drying, it goes through multiple rounds of traditional charcoal roasting over weeks. This intense, slow baking creates a highly stable, complex character that locks in its deep, signature roasty-sweet profile.

Origin: Wuyi Mountains (Wuyi Shan, Fujian Province, China) - the legendary mist-shrouded cliffs.

Bush: Lao Cong (old tree) Shui Xian - magnificent, large-leaf old tea trees.
To earn a AAA rating, the leaves must come from authentic, old tea trees - typically ranging from 50 to well over 100 years old. Younger bushes (known as Xiao Cong) cannot produce the structural density or the sought-after "old bush taste" (Cong Wei) required for this top tier.

Shui Xian translates to "Water Immortal." In antiquity, it was believed that tea from these specific plants bestowed longevity and the fluid, unyielding strength of water. The deep roots reach into rocky soil, passing the memory of decades and the elemental character of the earth directly into every leaf.

Shines brightest on its own as a ritual tea.

If pairing, its intensely rich profile stands up to deep, complex flavors:
- Dark, high-percentage artisanal chocolate
- Dried fruits & nuts: prunes, figs, dates, walnuts, pecans
- Bold mature cheeses: sharp aged cheddar or complex blue cheeses