For anyone familiar with Wuyi rock tea, the most prestigious terroirs are always known as the Three Ravines, Two Streams and Two Gullies. The original mother trees of Da Hong Pao grow in one of the two famous gullies — Jiulongke, also known as Kowloon Gully. This is exactly the prime Zhengyan mountain site where our 2025 Rougui is cultivated.
Traditional Rougui is famous for its strong, bold cinnamon spice and a distinctive crisp, pungent taste, which represents the classic and original character of this legendary rock tea. With the continuous breakthroughs in modern Wuyi tea craftsmanship, today’s refined Rougui no longer relies only on intense spice notes. Skillful production allows the tea to present elegant floral fragrance and sweet fruity aroma, bringing richer and gentler flavor layers.
Our 2025 Jiulongke Rougui perfectly inherits traditional rock tea charm while showcasing modern refined taste. Unlike ordinary aggressive and sharp Rougui, this batch is extremely mild, soft and approachable. We named it A Cup Welcomes Spring. Every sip removes the harshness of typical rock tea and unfolds gentle floral and fruity sweetness, just like warm spring breeze touching your palate — fresh, comfortable and soothing.
This outstanding Rougui stands out with three core advantages: premium Jiulongke Zhengyan terroir, sophisticated double charcoal roasting technique, and high-standard craftsmanship from the renowned tea maker Gao Peng.
Jiulongke is a deep and serene canyon leading to Tianxin Rock. Long and continuous rocky cliffs stretch on both sides of the valley, winding like nine resting dragons, which gives the place its poetic name. The steep rocky valley creates perfect natural shading. Clear spring water flows all year round through stone crevices, nourishing the tea bushes constantly.
This unique ecological environment forms an ideal growing condition. In summer, sunlight is soft and filtered, creating a large temperature difference between day and night, helping the tea accumulate rich inner substances. In winter, the canyon blocks cold wind and keeps the temperature stable. Thanks to this one-of-a-kind terroir, the tea develops the authentic Zhengyan rock rhyme: clean fragrance, pure sweetness, lively texture and lasting charm.
This Rougui is crafted by Gao Peng, a professional tea artisan from a generations-old tea-making family. With years of experience in perfecting rock tea roasting and fermentation, he precisely controls every detail of heat and timing. All teas produced by him are widely praised by tea connoisseurs for their stable and superior quality.
Different from ordinary aged rock tea that gradually loses fresh fragrance after years of storage, this Jiulongke Rougui adopts delicate double charcoal roasting. To fully preserve its fresh floral and fruity sweetness, the second and final roasting was completed at the beginning of this year.
This special craft perfectly combines the advantages of new tea and aged tea. It retains the fresh, bright and lively character of newly made rock tea, while possessing the mellow, full and rich texture of aged tea. The roasting fire temperament has completely faded, leaving no harsh taste or greenness after brewing. Right now, it is in its perfect drinking window with balanced flavor and elegant rock rhyme.
The dry tea leaves are finely twisted, tight and compact, releasing a pure and elegant roasted charcoal aroma. Once brewed, the tea delivers rich and authentic cinnamon fragrance blended with gentle fruity sweetness. The taste is pure, sweet and extremely smooth. The texture is soft and delicate on the palate, with a clean and refreshing throat finish.
It carries the classic mild spiciness of premium Rougui, restrained and refined instead of aggressive. All aromas melt gently into the tea liquid, rich yet subtle, elegant and long-lasting in every sip — fully expressing the gentle yet powerful character of authentic Jiulongke Zhengyan rock tea.