Zheng Yan Rougui

Zheng Yan refers to the inner gardens protected in the Wuyi Mountain Natural Reserve. Rougui is one of the traditional yancha, Rock Tea cultivars. That makes this an old-school charcoal roasted oolong from the heart of Wuyi—made the traditional way to bring out deep, earthy, oily, sweet, grounding yanyun goodness. Yanyun, Rock Charm, refers to the essence of the Rock Tea, the lingering minerality and sweetness from the volcanic rock terroir. 

The dark amber liqueur emits new leather, cedar, and quartz aromas—giving you a sense of the adventure you'll be embarking on. Pipe tobacco and candied orange tastes surpise with sweet sophistication, as roasted dandelion and sautéed mushrooms round out the savory body.

Peddler's note:

This is the tea for those who like their tea thick, heavy, grounding. It's a gongfu tea that asks you to slow down and be enveloped. 

Label 39

Winter Raven

Perspective and Humor

A resplendent raven stands at their post as a sentinel of the forest. Drinking tea from their matching cast iron cup and minding their own business, they’re unexpectedly struck by a wet clump of snow falling in silent ambush from a tree-branch above. Unperturbed, they remain alert. Catching the shimmering reflection of their undignified new look on the surface of their tea, they caw a soft chuckle and then shout a greeting to welcome this most recent mishap. 

The raven’s perspective is long and their sense of humor is wise and kind. Bolstered by these two virtues, they stay upright in the windy terrain even as strong trees curve like waving flags frozen in time. As a younger raven, an untimely snow attack would have set them off flapping mercilessly and cursing into the wind. But spending many winters keeping watch under the lavender sky has seasoned this corvid. They’ve become a connoisseur of the cosmic jokes and blessings that fill their cup each day—never wholly knowing which is which.

The raven will tell you that waves of joys and sorrows are much like the snow piling up around them. Just like the snow, everything can shift with the next gust of wind. Minor misfortunes are not harbingers of doom any more than they portend victories. To anyone feeling affronted by the little surprises and indecencies of life, they offer the wisdom of perspective and humor.