I’m Jon from Tongxinshe Teahouse, a humble tea enthusiast who never stops seeking exceptional teas. I’ve always believed that the beauty of tea shouldn’t be hidden away in obscure alleys, so I’m eager to share all my favorite teas with fellow lovers of this ancient brew. Today, I’d like to delve into the "star variety" of Wuyi rock tea — Rougui, or Cassia Cinnamon Tea. This article is a bit lengthy, and I hope all tea aficionados will take the time to read it at their leisure.
Veteran connoisseurs of Wuyi rock tea often say, "No Rougui, no joy in tea-drinking". Here, "Rou" (which literally means "meat" in Chinese) isn’t the kind you find on the dinner table; it’s an affectionate nickname for Wuyi Rougui tea. Popular terms in the tea circle like "Niurou" (beef), "Marou" (horse meat), and "Zhuru" (pork) actually refer to Rougui teas grown in different renowned tea-producing areas, namely Niulan Keng (Ox Pen Gully), Matou Yan (Horse Head Cliff), and Zhuzai Dong (Piglet Cave). A tiny difference in the nickname points to a world of distinct flavors.
Rougui tea gets its name from the unique cinnamon-like aroma that lingers in both its dry leaves and brewed liquor. Its taste is sharp, spicy, and long-lasting, with a rich, bold character that unfolds layer by layer in the mouth. There’s a well-known saying about Wuyi rock tea: "Rougui reigns supreme in aroma; Shuixian stands unrivaled in mellowness". As a flagship variety on par with Shuixian (Narcissus) and Dahongpao (Big Red Robe), Rougui has won the hearts of countless tea lovers with its distinctive charm.
While ordinary Rougui teas are prized for their cinnamon fragrance, a select few top-grade batches boast a delightful contrast: alongside the signature cinnamon note, they carry a fresh, sweet aroma of juicy peaches. The blend of spicy pungency and fruity sweetness is just like the tender side of a tough guy — utterly captivating.
The revered tea master Mr. Chen Dehua mentioned in his article The Promotion History of the Rougui Tea Variety: "Among the aroma profiles of Rougui, the highest-quality ones exude a peach fragrance, and their soluble sugar content is higher than that of other Rougui teas." Moreover, according to the national standard for Wuyi rock tea (GB/T 18745), Rougui is classified into three grades: Special Grade, Grade 1, and Grade 2. The aroma characteristic of Special Grade Rougui is clearly defined as "rich and long-lasting, with hints of milk, peach, or cinnamon fragrance". This confirms that peach-scented Rougui is no empty claim, but a top-tier variety with official standards to back it up.
Some people argue that nicknames like "Niurou" and "Marou" are far-fetched, straying from the elegance of tea and sounding rather vulgar. But once you learn the origin of the name "Rougui", you’ll understand its profound meaning. Originally called Yugui (Jade Cinnamon), this tea has a history dating back over 300 years to the Ming Dynasty. Back then, there were only a few dozen mother bushes, making it a famous yet extremely rare premium variety in Wuyi Mountain.
In the 1940s, the Chong’an Tea Research Institute (Chong’an is the old name of Wuyishan City) began to survey and select ancient and famous tea varieties. Yugui, with its outstanding quality, finally caught the researchers’ attention. Later, it was successfully propagated asexually and planted on a small scale in Matou Yan, covering an area of less than one mu (about 0.067 hectares). The renaming of "Yugui" to "Rougui" has a heartwarming backstory. In the local dialect of Wuyi Mountain, the characters "Yu" (jade) and "Rou" (meat) are pronounced identically. In the days when materials were scarce, meat was an extremely precious commodity — many families could only afford a taste during festivals and holidays. Thus, Mr. Chen Dehua, the pioneer in promoting the Rougui variety, proposed renaming "Yugui" to "Rougui". This down-to-earth name carried the simple wish of ordinary people for a prosperous life, and the renaming proposal was eventually approved.
In the late 1970s, the Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Commission decided to support the development of Rougui tea in Wuyi Mountain. It provided a free subsidy of 400 yuan per mu, along with interest-free loans, while the municipal Tea Research Institute supplied high-quality seedlings and professional technical guidance. The promotion project was led by Comrade You Yongsheng from Xingcun Production Brigade, and it successfully completed the task of planting 200 mu of Rougui tea in the end.
In 1982, Rougui represented Wuyi rock tea in numerous national tea competitions and emerged victorious, winning the title of one of China’s Top Ten Famous Teas. Later, it was officially recognized as a provincial-level improved tea variety. Looking back today, the name "Rougui" is by no means vulgar; instead, it is filled with the warmth of its era. And this name, which carried such earnest hopes, truly helped local tea farmers live a prosperous and stable life.
Today, Tongxinshe Teahouse is proud to present a masterpiece — the 2025 "China Tea Cup" Gold Award-winning Rougui. Its producer, Gaopeng Tea Making, was the only winner in the rock tea category of the oolong tea section in this competition.
Anyone who knows rock tea understands that the most crucial factor defining a great cup is its origin — the tea-growing region (Shanchang). The core producing areas of Wuyi rock tea are known as the Three Gullies and Two Valleys, namely Huiyuan Keng (Wisdom Garden Gully), Niulan Keng (Ox Pen Gully), Daoshui Keng (Pouring Water Gully), Liuxiang Jian (Flowing Fragrance Valley), and Wuyuan Jian (Enlightenment Source Valley). These five regions are the soul of authentic Wuyi rock tea. Among them, Huiyuan Keng stands out as the ultimate representative of core authentic tea-producing areas. Authentic rock tea plantations are always small in scale, low in yield, and high in price. Many of the "sky-high priced teas" and "10,000-yuan teas" on the market originate from these core authentic tea-growing regions. Our Gold Award-winning Rougui is grown in the tea gardens of Huiyuan Keng, making it a genuine product from the heart of Wuyi’s authentic rock tea territory.
Huiyuan Keng derives its name from the adjacent Huiyuan Chan Temple. At the entrance of the temple hangs a famous couplet written by Zhu Xi, a great Confucian scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty: "When guests arrive, do not disdain offering tea instead of wine; Living in a secluded mountain dwelling, bamboo becomes my neighbor." These simple yet profound lines perfectly capture the harmonious integration of tea and Zen. The growing environment of Huiyuan Keng is truly a gift from nature: surrounded by towering rocks on all sides, it forms a natural basin that nurtures a unique microclimate. Deep in this secluded valley, mist shrouds the area all year round, and the air humidity is high. This cool and moist environment slows down the growth of tea trees, allowing them to develop tea leaves with a rich, mellow taste and a restrained, sophisticated quality.
The dry leaves of this Gold Award-winning Rougui undergo two rounds of slow roasting over charcoal fire, resulting in tightly knotted, robust tea strips that emit a rich, lingering aroma. Once brewed, the liquor glows with a bright orange-yellow hue, as tempting as amber. On the palate, it is full-bodied and mellow, with an instant coolness spreading across the tip of the tongue. The spicy cinnamon aroma and delicate floral notes alternate and interweave, unfolding layer upon layer. After drinking, the fragrance lingers on the lips and teeth for a long time. That unique "rock bone and floral fragrance" is the perfect embodiment of Huiyuan Keng’s terroir. Taking a gentle sip, you will feel as if you are wandering through the mist-shrouded tea gardens of Huiyuan Keng, with the fresh mountain breeze brushing your face and the aroma of tea filling your sleeves — a truly soothing experience for both body and mind.
The Gold Award that this tea has earned is exceptionally prestigious. The tea sample evaluation session of the 15th Autumn Session of the "China Tea Cup" International Dingcheng Tea King Competition was grandly held at the Shenzhen Tea World. The competition conducted rigorous evaluations on 278 tea samples submitted by 174 enterprises from 15 tea-producing provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government) across the country. Guided by the China Tea Science Society in terms of technical expertise, this event was co-hosted by the China National Tea Museum, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute, Shenzhen Tea Culture Promotion Association, and Shenzhen Huajuchen International Exhibition Group Co., Ltd. After six months of sample collection, submission, and evaluation, the "Tea Kings" and various awards were finally announced.
The "China Tea Cup" is the oldest and most credible tea evaluation brand in China, hailed as the "Oscar of the Chinese tea industry". The "Dingcheng Tea King Competition" is a high-profile event brand created by Huajuchen Group, standing as a professional and authoritative benchmark in the tea industry. Since 2019, these two major competitions have joined forces, leveraging the most authoritative institutions, professional evaluation panels, strict testing standards, and powerful publicity to create a top-tier annual tea selection event, setting a new benchmark for tea evaluation in the industry.
A single cup of Rougui holds within it the terroir of Wuyi Mountain, the warm memories of a bygone era, and Tongxinshe Teahouse’s unwavering dedication to exceptional tea. We hope this Gold Award-winning Rougui will accompany you through many moments filled with the delicate fragrance of tea.