Buddha's Cave Rock Tea | Oolong Tea
Available in 2 oz. quantities only.
Roasted depths and rarefied sweetness. A little fruit in the aroma, but mineral at its core. Top-notch rock wulong with great presence and no disappointments.
The primary tea was harvested on April 21st, 2020 by Mr. Li Jilin. Many rock wulong teas are allowed to rest one year before being baked again to stabilize. The cultivar used here is huang guanyin (105) and harvested from the Da Keng Kou region at over 5,000 feet. First baking was December 26th, 2020. Second baking was June 8th, 2021.
“Da Keng Kou” is one of the famous “Three Caves and Two Streams”, a designation going all the way back to a 1751 Wuyi journal written by Dong Tian Gong. It’s a big canyon stretching from Tian Xin Rock to Chong Yang brook. There is no defined entrance to Da Keng Kou, but at the exit is a huge Buddha statue with the Chinese character for “Buddha” carved into the rock behind it. According to legend, the statue’s origins date back approximately 300 years with the death of Emperor Qian Long’s mother. He was struck with tremendous grief and missed her dearly. His woes lingered until his mother appeared to him in a dream and assured him not to worry. With the help of a Mi Le Buddha (also known as Maitreya Buddha, the Bodhisattva of the future) she would be entering the cycle of reincarnation and was about to achieve her childhood dream to be reborn as a farmer’s daughter to grow tea in the nearby mountains. To thank the Mi Le Buddha, the Emperor had a great statue built at the location where his mother told him she would return.
Ingredients: oolong tea
Steeping Instructions
3 grams | 8 oz water | 212°F | Steep 5 min.
Traditional Steeping - 8 grams In 150ml gaiwan (or teapot), use boiling water and steep as follows:
Rinse - 10 seconds (discard this steep)
1st Steep – 10 seconds
2nd Steep – 10 seconds
3rd Steep – 15 seconds
4th Steep – 30 seconds
5th Steep – 60 seconds
(Or steep it however you want)
Number of Cups
2 oz makes 19 cups