Wuyi Rock Tea is distinguished by its unique geographical environment, superior cultivars, and traditional processing techniques, which together create its distinctive “character.”

Different from Oolong teas produced in other regions, Wuyi Rock Tea exhibits a unique quality. Over time, tea connoisseurs have summarized this unique taste as “rock character,” a term that has become widely used in the evaluation of Rock Teas.

The current interpretation of “rock character” is generally considered to be “rock bone and floral fragrance.” Lin Fuquan, in his article “The Production, Manufacturing, and Distribution of Wuyi Tea,” wrote: “Wuyi Rock Tea can be said to be the embodiment of the finest essences of mountains and rivers, nourished by the bones of rocks and sources, possessing the charm of clear springs and flowers, with a taste that is sweet and fragrant.”

How do we understand the “rock character” of Wuyi Rock Tea?

Liang Zhangju, a scholar from the late Qing Dynasty, stayed overnight at Tianyou Temple during his visit to Wuyi and discussed tea with a Taoist priest named Jing Can. Liang proposed the “Four Levels Theory” of Wuyi Rock Tea. He said, “Jing Can says there are four levels of tea quality: the first is fragrance, such as floral fragrances found in small-leaf types. Today, many tea tasters consider this the ultimate subtlety. However, there is a higher level, which is clarity. A fragrance without clarity is still common. The next level up is sweetness. A fragrance without sweetness is bitter. The highest level is vitality. Sweetness without vitality is merely good tea. The word ‘vitality' must be understood through the tongue, subtly, subtly! And it must be brewed with water from the mountains to truly grasp its essence.”

This evaluation has been used by later generations and serves as a specific standard for the quality of Wuyi Rock Tea. On this basis, some people have further distilled the unique character of Wuyi Rock Tea into four concise words: rock bone and floral fragrance.

Rock Bone and Floral Fragrance

The aroma of Rock Tea is rich and can often be described as floral or fruity, such as narcissus flower fragrance, orchid fragrance, osmanthus fragrance, peach fragrance, pear fragrance, etc. For the liquor, understanding the “bone” is more difficult. Su Dongpo once wrote a poem titled “In Response to Qian Andao's Gift of Jian Tea,” praising it as “beautifully lovable and not to be underestimated, with clear bones, tender flesh, harmonious and upright,” which may help in understanding the meaning of “bone.” Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, when evaluating tribute teas, composed a poem saying, “Among them, the Wuyi variety is the best, with a clear and harmonious flavor and a firm character,” vividly describing the characteristics of rock character. Therefore, some believe that the “bone” in rock character should refer to a taste that does not rely on freshness and fragrance but instead triumphs through its full-bodied, substantial, and steady qualities.

Whether it is clarity, fragrance, sweetness, and vitality or rock bone and floral fragrance, there are different perspectives. However, to truly understand rock character, one must appreciate the descriptions of predecessors and gain a concrete understanding of the basic sensory characteristics and the special experience of drinking Wuyi Rock Tea.

The Qing Dynasty poet Yuan Mei once said in “Su Yuan Food List”: “Wuyi tea has a clear fragrance and a lingering sweetness. … Longjing tea, although clear, has a thin flavor, while Yangxian tea, though excellent, lacks the same charm. There is a reason why jade and crystal have different qualities.” Yuan Mei arrived at this conclusion after comparing Rock Tea with Longjing tea and Yangxian tea, providing a meaningful insight.

First, one must appreciate the characteristics of color, fragrance, and taste of Wuyi Rock Tea through the senses.

Color. Wuyi Rock Tea is rich in content and can withstand multiple infusions. Its liquor is usually clear and bright, deep orange in color, and remains flavorful even after seven infusions. However, even for the same cultivar, the depth of the liquor color can vary greatly depending on the processing technique. Different degrees of fermentation and roasting result in different liquor colors. Generally, heavily fermented and high-fired Rock Teas have deeper, reddish colors, while lightly fermented and low-fired Rock Teas have lighter, yellowish hues. In addition, new teas tend to have lighter colors, while aged teas have darker colors, hence the saying that aged Wuyi Rock Tea has a “deep red hue worth three times the price.”

Fragrance refers to the aroma of the tea. In “Tea Record” (1595), Zhang Yuan of the Ming Dynasty wrote: “There is true fragrance, orchid fragrance, clear fragrance, and pure fragrance. When the inner and outer aromas are consistent, it is called pure fragrance. When neither raw nor overdone, it is called clear fragrance. When properly fired, it is called orchid fragrance. When picked before the rain, it is called true fragrance. There are also contained fragrance, leaking fragrance, floating fragrance, and smothered fragrance, all of which are not genuine.”

There are several types of fragrances in tea, including varietal fragrance, processing fragrance, and comprehensive fragrance. Rock Tea combines both varietal and processing fragrances to form a comprehensive fragrance. However, regardless of the type of fragrance, the basic characteristic should be the inherent fragrance of the tea leaves themselves. The fragrance of Wuyi Rock Tea can generally be divided into clear fragrance, clear floral fragrance, floral fragrance, floral-fruit fragrance, fruit fragrance, and milky fragrance. In the first infusion, smell the height, delicacy, strength, and presence of any off-flavors of the Rock Tea fragrance to distinguish regional characteristics. In the second infusion, identify the type of fragrance, such as cassia presenting a Cinnamon-like fragrance, and Shui Xian presenting an orchid-like fragrance, to distinguish varietal characteristics. In the third infusion, assess the persistence and longevity of the fragrance, as good Rock Teas have “lingering fragrance after seven infusions” and “maintain their original flavor after nine infusions.” Well-preserved aged Rock Teas have a “tobacco leaf fragrance” and even a “wood fragrance.”

The fragrance of Wuyi Rock Tea also has a firm quality, which can be understood as a “dominant” aroma. This aroma permeates the lid of the cup, lingers, and leaves a lasting fragrance in the cup, known as “cup-bottom fragrance.” Even when the tea liquor cools down, the cold fragrance remains.

Taste. The liquor of Wuyi Rock Tea is generally sweet, mellow, fresh, and smooth. However, upon closer examination, it reveals even more nuanced qualities.

There are two types of sweetness. One is immediate sweetness upon tasting. With good Rock Tea, there is a sweet and cool sensation right from the start. Some cultivars may initially have a slight bitterness, but they quickly give way to a sweet aftertaste. The aftertaste of Rock Tea is expansive, directly expanding your throat, feeling refreshingly wide open. You might not even perceive it as an aftertaste, but it is certainly a pleasant sensation after drinking Rock Tea, leaving a fresh and sweet taste in the mouth and a wide-open throat.