Nearly qualifying for the new daily drinker criteria, this Shui Jin Gui is a no frills affordable taste of a legendary varietal that's expertly processed and charcoal baked at a light-medium roast. Shui Jin Gui is considered one of the "4 great bushes of Wuyi", the 四大名丛 si da ming cong.  The entire si da ming cong is in this year's THEA BOHEA box, along with many other teas from Wuyishan.

There can be some creation mythology behind famous teas that aren't really worth relaying, but the main tale told of Shui Jin Gui to be a fun one:

This particular story tells of ancient Daoists high in the cliffs of Wuyi at one time cultivating special tea plants.  One monsoon season the skies gave way to a deluge, soon flooding the land.  These unabating conditions loosened even the crags that these special plants were nestled into high up in the cliffs, sliding them down into the flooding rivers below, still attached to their clumps of loosened cliffrock.  Those who witnessed these plants bobbing up and down as they drifted with the flood's currents remarked that they appeared as golden turtles of the water.

By the time the flood subsided, these special tea plants had washed all the way down to the lower farmlands, to be discovered and claimed by excited peasants and farmers.  Appalled, the monks of the high cliffs demanded their tea plants back.  Disagreements between the two parties heightened, and eventually had to be settled in the land's courts.  After a fervent legal battle, the courts eventually sided with the peasants and farmers, stating that Shui Jin Gui tea was given to them and all commoners as an act of God.

another story tells of the special venation of each leaf appearing as the design seen on a turtle's shell

another story tells of the special venation of each leaf appearing as the design seen on a turtle's shell

The Yue Family

The Yue family produces well-crafted outside-the-park rock oolong west of Wuyi city, near Shankou, on the way to Wusandi. From what I've gathered, it seems like a lot of their buyers are retailers that try to pass the teas off with a more prestigious name.  I met Yue Jun and her daughter on a train back in 2019, and she became my very first Wuyi contact.

When asked about the specifics of their location and its terroir, they respond:

We are located at an altitude of 457 meters in 山口自然村 Shānkǒu Natural Village, with Wusandi to the west, located on the windward slope of the Wuyi Mountains, with sufficient precipitation, coupled with dense vegetation, sufficient evaporation, and high humidity. Heavy, readily forming clouds with mist create a warm and humid semi-shady environment with more scattered light suitable for the growth of tea trees. In addition, the soil in the mountain pass is weathered gravel suitable for the growth of tea trees. The soil has good permeability and high mineral content, which makes the growth of tea trees reach an ideal level.

In an industry fraught with newcomers claiming mastery of marketable + popular styles after just a handful of years, the Yue family has been honing their yancha craft for 3 generations. Jun’s grandmother was the first to begin growing and processing tea in the township of  Yangzhuang. It was her who planted their original Qidan Da Hong Pao bushes, their Old Bush Shui Xian, as well as others.

Yue Jun is a third generation tea farmer. Her inheritance of these acres in Shankou comes from her mother's mother. Her daughter is currently learning about tea farming.