The profound wisdom of Eastern philosophy is embodied in the phrase "the supreme way is simplicity". Simplicity is not merely an ultimate aesthetic form of eliminating the redundant to embrace the essential, but also a capacity to perceive the core nature of things and a realm of returning to one’s true self. It demands that we strip away the superfluous from the intricate appearances to reach the heart of the matter — a core that seems plain and unadorned, yet harbors the accumulation of countless trials and refinements as well as insights born of nature itself. As the saying goes, "Master the essence in the heart, manifest simplicity in form, and attain enlightenment through nature." This holds true for tea, and equally so for art.
Both tea and art take inclusiveness as their soul. Tea embodies the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers, while art carries the heritage of human culture. When the two resonate in harmony, they give birth to a cultural carrier that can be savored, appreciated and pondered over. Today, Tongxinshe Teahouse recommends the limited signed edition of "Jinjin·Golden Oil Drop" Da Hong Pao produced by Kuanlu Tea Factory, crafted by Master Wang Guoxing, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Wuyi Rock Tea — a perfect example of the integration and intercommunication of tea and art.
The realm of a tea starts with the land where it grows. The simplicity of the Golden Oil Drop is rooted in the innate endowment of the core production area of Wuyi Zheng Yan (True Cliff). Here, steep rocky valleys and cliffs stand in great numbers, boasting an unrivaled shading condition with short sunlight in summer and natural wind protection in winter. The weathered rocky soil features excellent permeability and is rich in minerals such as manganese and potassium, providing an irreplaceable natural environment for the growth of tea trees.
"Sometimes, the excellence of a tea is destined by its origin." All the tea leaves of the Golden Oil Drop are plucked from this core tea region, with every fresh leaf absorbing the exquisite spiritual energy of the rocky cliffs and the essence of heaven and earth. This purity from nature is the starting point of "the supreme way is simplicity" — it abandons the disturbances of the outside world, bears the unique aura of the tea region in its most authentic form, and lays a solid foundation for the subsequent craftsmanship.
If the tea region is the innate character of tea, then the crafting technique is its acquired cultivation. The simplicity of the Golden Oil Drop is the ultimate condensation of Master Wang Guoxing’s pursuit of "mastering the essence in the heart", who is an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Wuyi Rock Tea (Da Hong Pao) making techniques. Master Wang Guoxing has integrated decades of tea-making experience and stringent standards for fine tea into every process of crafting the Golden Oil Drop.
From the plucking of fresh leaves to the final finished tea, it undergoes numerous intricate steps including withering, shaking and oxidizing, fixing, rolling and charcoal roasting. Throughout the process, Master Wang Guoxing always adheres to the core principle of "discarding the dross and selecting the essential". During the shaking and oxidizing stage, he flexibly adjusts the operation according to the weather and the state of fresh leaves to arouse the rocky charm and floral fragrance of the tea; in the charcoal roasting stage, he adopts the traditional low-temperature slow roasting technique to catalyze material transformation, bringing out the rich caramel and woody aromas, eliminating the astringency and retaining the mellow taste. After several rounds of roasting, the tea finally achieves an ultimate flavor featuring "a smooth and silky soup texture, a distinct submerged aroma, a quick sweet aftertaste and a prominent tea region character". This exquisite craftsmanship is precisely the core of "the supreme way is simplicity": grasping the essence amid complex techniques, making every process serve the authentic flavor of the tea, and ultimately presenting a pure and full taste.
The simplicity of the Golden Oil Drop is also hidden in the cultural profoundness of its name. The name derives from a collected Song Dynasty Jianzhan teacup with golden oil drop patterns — as a top-grade work among Song Dynasty Jianzhan teacups, the golden oil drop Jianzhan is regarded as a rare treasure by collectors for its exquisite firing technique and extreme scarcity. In ancient times, oil drop Jianzhan was precious as gold due to its rarity, just like a cup of fine tea that embodies the harmonious coexistence of heaven, earth and humanity, with every drop being the essence.
Spanning thousands of years, this "rarity" and "preciousness" have endowed Wuyi Rock Tea with a new vitality. The naming of the Golden Oil Drop carries a profound historical heritage and reverence for craftsmanship in the most concise words, praising both its gold-like quality and the invaluable craftsmanship — a vivid interpretation of "attaining enlightenment through nature".
When the purity of tea meets the inclusiveness of art, it gives rise to a cultural resonance of "manifesting simplicity in form". The packaging of the Golden Oil Drop is an intuitive embodiment of the integration and intercommunication of tea and art — the three characters "Golden Oil Drop" are personally inscribed by Mr. Liu Yanhu, a master of contemporary Chinese calligraphy and a renowned calligrapher and seal carver, with vigorous and forceful brushstrokes and smooth artistic conception, infusing the tea gift with the soul of calligraphy art.
In the new version of the packaging, the designer creatively presents the character "Jin (Gold)" to subtly distinguish the six types of tea in the Golden Oil Drop series while maintaining a concise and elegant overall design. Without redundant decorative patterns, the packaging lets the fragrance of ink and tea complement each other, just like a classic calligraphy and painting work or a good book, worthy of savoring, appreciation and reflection. This design is a choice of aesthetic taste and more a cultural resonance, making the tea-tasting experience not only a pleasure for the taste buds but also a double nourishment for the vision and spirit.
Pour boiling water into the teacup, and the dry tea leaves of the Golden Oil Drop slowly unfurl, with caramel, woody and floral aromas blooming one after another, and a delicate yet not obtrusive submerged aroma. When the tea soup enters the mouth, its smooth and silky texture wraps around the rocky and floral flavors, with a sweet aftertaste spreading rapidly and the mineral notes of the tea region lingering in the throat. The excellent infusibility of the tea allows each brew to reveal new layers of flavor.
In this cup of tea, there is no extraneous taste, only the authentic character of the tea region, the purity of craftsmanship and the mildness of art — the caramel aroma is the condensation of charcoal roasting technique, the woody aroma is the mark of the rocky cliffs, and the floral aroma is the true nature of the fresh tea leaves. The three blend together to create a minimalist yet rich taste experience.
The supreme way is simplicity, and enlightenment is attained through nature. The simplicity of the Golden Oil Drop lies in the purity of the tea region, the refinement of craftsmanship and the blank space in art; its richness resides in the complexity of the local customs, the profoundness of the craftsmanship and the length of culture. This limited signed edition of the Golden Oil Drop Da Hong Pao, produced by Kuanlu Tea Factory, crafted by Master Wang Guoxing and inscribed by Mr. Liu Yanhu, comes in an exquisite specification of 36 grams (9 grams × 4 brews) per box. It carries not only the quality of a cup of fine tea, but also a spiritual practice about simplicity.
Sincerity and friendship are as precious as gold in every drop. In the coexistence of tea and art, we understand the eternal charm of "the supreme way is simplicity" and taste the most authentic beauty of life.
Product Basic Information
Basic Product Info
Name: Jinjin·Golden Oil Drop
Specifications: 36g (9g × 4 brews)/box
Variety: Da Hong Pao
Origin: Core Zheng Yan Production Area
Aroma: Caramel, woody and floral notes
Taste: Smooth and silky soup texture, distinct submerged aroma, quick sweet aftertaste, prominent tea region character
Features: Submerged woody aroma, smooth and full texture, excellent infusibility