Like its pressed, biscuit-shaped brethren, Zhangping Shui Xian Oolong, this Zhangping Red is a thick tea with bold, fruity, southern Fujian-character produced from Shui Xian cultivar bushes.

The vast majority of tea gardens of Zhangping are comprised of the cultivar 水仙 Shui Xian "Water Nymph", the same breed whose namesake the Wuyi Mountain Rock Oolong varietal popularized.  Without knowing Shui Xian is just the name of a cultivar, it's a common misunderstanding that all Shui Xian teas could be Rock Oolongs.

a representative of the 闽南 Mǐn nán "Southern Fujian", Zhangping is close to Anxi, the area that produces Tie Guan Yin. Confusingly, there's a very famous rock oolong varietal by the name of Shui Xian that hails from Wuyishan in the north part of the province.

Mr. Lin's Shui Xian gardens are at a cool 600 meters, an average of 300 meters higher than most of the plantations down the mountain; some of the highest in the area.  It was because of this factor, the quality of his teas, the professional level of sanitation in his gardens and facilities, as well as age of his trees that we chose him as our primary tea producer in Zhangping.

While Mr. Lin grew up producing red tea, he decided to focus on it like he does his oolong — biscuit-pressed and all — after the market began giving Zhangping Shui Xian more attention after its induction as an intangible cultural heritage recently in 2021.

Interestingly, Mr. Lin has chosen to fit this new experimental production of red tea into annual rotation as his very first harvest of the spring season, processing an initial flush of 1 bud - 2 leaf pickings before allowing the plants to flush out 3-4 leaves subsequently for his oolong production.  This 1 bud - 2 leaf harvest (called 嫩採 nen cai or "tender pick" in Mr. Lin's words) destined for red tea typically takes place around April 10th, at least a week before his oolong harvest.

Also notable is that Mr. Lin finishes his red tea with an advanced charcoal roast treatment, similar to an oolong.  This added maillard reaction caramelizes the sweetness and lends an irresistible nutty and chocolatey note, that may be summarized best by the tasting note exclaimed out during one of its first stateside sessions: "it tastes like swiss miss hot cocoa mix if someone made it with water and not milk!"

Mr. Lin will charcoal bake these red biscuits typically three separate times for about six to seven hours each time.  This advanced procedure ensures this red to be quite the delightful oddball of the group: a playful, easy-brewing, delicious tea producing a thick oily broth with many aromatic steeps.