The beauty of tea cannot only be described by its appearance, flavours or scents. High quality, beautiful leaves, intriguing flavors and lingering taste, are sometimes expressed through incredible names. The beauty of one tea should be looked from a much wider perspective. Many Chinese teas offer intriguing names, whose meaning could be lost if looked only from an English language perspective. These highly oxidized oolong teas have some of the most interesting names among Chinese tea treasury.
Da Hong Pao (大红袍) or Scarlet Robe, the most popular of all Wuyi Oolongs owes its name to the legend. There are numerous stories connected to this tea, some include wrapping bushes in red robe in the old times, some say that the bushes themselves have a red color under the dusky evening light.
Cassia, Rou Gui (肉桂) means cinnamon, Chinese version of this spice, is named Cinnamomum cassia. This tea originates from the Qing dynasty tea and has a very special flavor that holds some cinnamon notes.
Jin Fo (金佛) is one of the newest Wuyi Oolongs on the market. Beautiful and intriguing, this tea got its name from the legend of the variety of tea Golden Buddha used to drink, year after year.
Golden Water Turtle
Animals are quite common in the names of Chinese teas, and rock tea is no exception. Shui Jin Gui (水金亀) or Golden Water Turtle owes its name to the legend as well. It says that a Turtle deity found more happiness being enjoyed in a shape of tea than appreciated in a form of a deity.
Tie Luo Han (铁罗汉) is a powerful name that contains both the color of the leaves and the noble enlightened monk - Buddhist Arhat. Legend has it that the variety from which this tea is produced was found where the monks used to live.
Not Knowing The Spring
Bu Zhi Chun (不知春), one of the most unknown and rare Wuyi oolongs, owes its name to the Chinese way of determining seasons by solar system and the period when the tea is grown and harvested.
Ai Jiao (矮脚) oolong has a name that literary translates to short foot, or a dwarf oolong. This very oolong has small leaves and produces only a small harvest.
Waist Halfway In The Sky
Name of one of the oldest rock teas, Ban Tian Yao (半天腰), could be translated in many ways. The word yao is used to represent sparrow hawk, sharing the same tone and pronunciation. The original cliff where the tea is grown is said to look like it is halfway among the clouds, hanging from the sky.
Shui Xian (水仙) is usually translated as Narcissus – the name of the flower. By dividing these two characters Shui Xian, the name gets even more beautiful – water fairy.
Bai Ji Guan (白鸡冠) owes its name to the legend as well. Although the appearance of dry leaves may also correspond to the name very well, it has been said that this tea sprouted from the spot where a white rooster was buried, after being killed to protect its baby chick.
Huang Mei Gui (黃玫瑰) is another fairly new Wuyi tea, created from two tea varieties, both containing word yellow. There is no legend connected to it, however, it can correspond to the full impression. With a beautiful appearance, full and sweet flavor and carefully roasted leaves, Yellow Rose fully deserves its name.
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