As the Spring Festival draws near, the air is filled with the warm, festive spirit of the new year. At Tongxinshe Teahouse, we’ve carefully curated a selection of tea gifts brimming with auspicious joy and mellow sweetness, to accompany you into the new year with fragrant brews. May each cup of tea bring you good fortune for the new year, and let the delicate sweetness flow from your tongue to your heart, opening a sweet and prosperous new chapter. Among the countless varieties of Wuyi Rock Tea, the finest ones refined by time and tested by the market all hold a unique essence of quality. Today, we are delighted to recommend our premium Zhengyan Jin Mu Dan—a high-aroma rock tea that perfectly embodies the floral charm of Wuyi Rock Tea, fulfilling all your expectations for floral notes in a rock tea.
Jin Mu Dan is an esteemed tea cultivar crafted with great care by the Fujian Tea Research Institute in the 1970s. It is a hybrid variety bred from Tieguanyin (female parent) and Huang Dan (male parent), and one of the earliest successful new cultivars developed for Wuyi Rock Tea. Officially named in 2001, it has even earned its place as a National Grade Fine Tea Cultivar. Endowed with innate varietal advantages, it boasts strong adaptability to tea processing and a distinctive, standout aroma. It inherits the orchid and creamy notes, as well as the rich, mellow texture and long-lasting sweet aftertaste of Tieguanyin, while also absorbing the sweet gardenia fragrance of Huang Dan. What’s more, it blends the unique rocky rhythm (Yan Gu Yun) of Wuyi Rock Tea, fusing floral aromas with rocky undertones to create an unparalleled flavor profile.
For Wuyi Rock Tea, Zhengyan (core rock tea producing area) is the gold standard—and this Jin Mu Dan hails from the core production area of Mituo Rock, one of the famous Ninety-Nine Rocks of Wuyi Mountain. Adjacent to Foguo Rock, Mituo Rock is nourished by the gravelly soil of Zhangtang Stream. The tea garden enjoys an open terrain yet a mild microclimate; the tea trees grow in a cool, constant-temperature environment, with diffused sunlight nurturing the accumulation of abundant nutrients in the leaves. This gives the tea a subtle, lingering aroma and a full-bodied liquor, with a crisp, clean rocky rhythm—a unique terroir characteristic exclusive to Mituo Rock. Adhering to Wuyi’s traditional tea-making craft, our master tea makers use a triple charcoal roasting process, slow-roasting over gentle charcoal fire. The heat of the charcoal mellows the tea’s astringency and locks the varietal aromas firmly into the leaves, harmonizing floral notes with roasted undertones. This process not only preserves the bright, high floral aroma of Jin Mu Dan but also lends the tea a richer, more mellow texture. The charcoal roasting also tempers the tea’s nature, making it warm and gentle on the stomach.
The dry tea leaves are tight, compact and heavy, with a glossy dark brown hue tinged with a faint purple luster—a unique varietal trait of Jin Mu Dan. Even before brewing with boiling water, the tea exudes a restrained, subtle sweet aroma that lingers at the tip of the nose when lightly sniffed. When brewing, pour boiling water high to awaken the tea’s essence: the liquor is a bright orange-yellow, clear and translucent like amber. The moment the tea is brewed, a burst of floral aroma greets the senses—unlike the fleeting, cloying floral notes of ordinary teas, Jin Mu Dan’s aroma blends seamlessly into the liquor, sinking deep within it. Sweet gardenia, delicate orchid, and fresh fruity notes unfurl one after another in the brew, interwoven with the subtle sweetness of peach. The layers of aroma are rich yet well-balanced, fully showcasing its classic trait of high, bright aroma and smooth, delicate liquor—a true embodiment of its reputation as the "perfume of teas".
Sipping it, the liquor glides smoothly across the palate with a warm, silky texture. As it gently slides down the throat, the rocky rhythm lingers, unfurling the profound terroir of Mituo Rock on the tongue. The crisp rocky undertones blend with the mellow liquor, free of any astringency, leaving only a full mouth of delicate sweetness. The sweet aftertaste arrives quickly and endures: after the liquor passes, a faint, mellow sweetness rises on the tongue, spreading from the throat to the entire mouth, with a long-lasting fragrance lingering on the lips and teeth. After finishing the cup, inhale the aroma at the bottom—there is a rich, honeyed scent that clings to the cup persistently, interwoven with caramel and floral notes, leaving a lingering aftertaste that invites endless savoring.
A cup of Zhengyan Jin Mu Dan is the perfect fusion of cultivar, terroir and craft, elevating the floral charm of Wuyi Rock Tea to its utmost. Layers of gardenia, orchid, fruit and honey aromas intertwine harmoniously with the rocky rhythm, never overshadowing the inherent character of Wuyi Rock Tea. During the Spring Festival, serve this Jin Mu Dan to your guests—the bright floral aroma complements the festive joy, and the mellow liquor warms the tender moments of gathering. When sipping alone, the fragrant brew soothes the fatigue of a busy day and nurtures a moment of peace and leisure.
Drink new tea for a new year. May this mellow, rich and fragrant Jin Mu Dan accompany you through a joyful Spring Festival with full floral notes, and let every sip of delicate sweetness mark a beautiful start to the new year—sweet and blissful, year after year.