Wuyi Rock Tea is among the many tea categories with the most numerous, complex production steps and the greatest influence from human factors.

As the old saying goes: Rock tea has "the appearance of a beggar, the value of gold." Its rocky bone and floral fragrance reveal an aroma and a charm that offer endless回味!

How to appreciate rock tea? Three sniffs, three observations, three tastings, and three aftertastes. Let me explain slowly.

Three Sniffs

Three sniffs refer to dry sniffing, hot sniffing, and cold sniffing.

Dry sniffing: Mainly sniff the aroma type of the dry tea leaves, and check for any stale, moldy, or other absorbed odors.

Hot sniffing: Refers to sniffing the tea's fragrance while it is hot after brewing. Tea aromas can include sweet, roasted, fresh, floral, chestnut, fruity, and other different scent types, each of which can be expressed as rich, lofty, lively, elegant, sharp, pure, light, mild, etc.

Cold sniffing: Refers to sniffing the lingering fragrance on the tea lid or cup bottom after the temperature has cooled. At this point, other scents that were masked by the大量挥发 of aromatic compounds at high temperatures can be detected.

Three Observations

First observation: The appearance, shape, and color of the tea leaves. Good rock tea should have tightly rolled, heavy, and solid leaves, with even, full strips, free of impurities and yellow flakes. The color should be bluish-brown, glossy, and radiant like "precious light," with a closer look revealing frog-skin-like granular white spots on the leaf surface.

Second observation: The liquor color. Good rock tea, after brewing, should have an orange-yellow or reddish color, clear and bright, pleasing to the eye. Strong tea can present a bright amber color.

Third observation: The brewed leaves (tea base). The tea base refers to the opened tea leaves remaining in the pot after brewing and drinking. Good rock tea leaves should be soft after brewing, with暗红色 edges and清绿色略带黄 in the center.

Three Tastings

Three tastings refer to evaluating the intrinsic quality of rock tea by sipping and savoring the tea liquor through "含英嚼华" (savoring the essence).

First tasting: The roasting level (fire skill), discerning whether it is "足火" (full fire), "老火" (old fire), or "生青" (raw/green). Fully fired rock tea liquor has a caramelized sugar aroma, while old-fired rock tea...

Second tasting: The flavor, discerning whether the tea liquor's taste is fresh and brisk, sweet and brisk, rich and mellow,醇厚,醇正, or thin,清淡,生涩, or even bitter and astringent. Generally, good rock tea liquor feels smooth,润, and lively upon entering the throat, with a明显回甘 (clear returning sweetness) afterwards.

Third tasting: The rock rhythm (Yan Yun). Appreciating the rock rhythm is the characteristic of drinking Wuyi Rock Tea. One must用心综合领略 (comprehensively appreciate with heart) the four major factors in Wuyi Rock Tea: "fragrance, sweetness, clarity, and liveliness," especially the character of "liveliness." One should discern carefully from the舌本 (base of the tongue) and feel from the喉底 (bottom of the throat), able to体会出 (perceive) the sensation of舌下生津 (saliva generation under the tongue),口里回甘 (returning sweetness in the mouth),神情气爽 (refreshed spirit and energy), and心旷神怡 (carefree and joyful) pleasure.

Three Aftertastes

Three aftertastes are the茶人's (tea connoisseur's)感受 (feelings) after tasting the tea. After drinking truly good tea,

First: The舌根 (root of the tongue)回味甘甜 (recalls sweetness),满口生津 (the whole mouth produces saliva).

Second: The齿颊 (teeth and cheeks)回味甘醇 (recall mellow sweetness),留香尽日 (the fragrance lingers all day).

Third: The喉底 (bottom of the throat)回味甘爽 (recalls refreshing sweetness),气脉畅通 (energy channels feel unobstructed),五腑六脏如得滋润 (the internal organs feel moistened), making one feel心旷神怡 (carefree and joyful),飘然欲仙 (as if floating and becoming immortal).