Shui Mi Tao (2025) HCF '25 Black Tea of the Year

General

Although the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian Province are best known for their dark-roasted oolong teas known as Rock Tea, the region also produces a few particularly fine black teas. The most notable of these are Jin Jun Mei and Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong. The black tea production method is believed to have been originally invented in this region.

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong translates to Small Variety of the Original Mountain. The name refers to the tea bush variety. The best Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is produced in the Wuyi Mountains region in Tong Mu Village. The tea is loosely related to Lapsang Souchong, a smoked black tea also produced in the Wuyi Mountains region but sold mainly in Western markets. There are also smoked versions of Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, but the tea is normally completely unsmoked.

This tea

This Shui Mi Tao was harvested in the spring of 2025 in the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian. It was picked from a tea bush variety known as Shui Mi Tao or Mi Tao. It is a variety related to the wild tea variety and has an incredible fruity aroma and taste, slightly reminiscent of peach or lychee. The tea could be considered a variation of the Wuyi Mountains Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong tea, as the production method is the same but the variety is different.

Taste

The leaf has a lush fruity aroma of lychees and peaches. When infused, these fruity characteristics are still strongly present. In addition, the taste has a subtle dark wood character and different shades of minerality. The taste is light and elegant rather than massive or heavy.

Infusion

You need a generous tablespoon of tea leaves. Use boiling water for infusion. If the tea is made in a pot of less than half a liter, you can brew the leaves a few times with this amount of leaves. In a larger pot, it is better to do one longer brew. In a small pot, the brewing time is 1-3 minutes and in a larger one, 3-5 minutes. Adjust the amount of leaves and steeping time to taste.