Rougui Tea

Rougui Tea

Rougui tea (肉桂茶, Ròu Guì Chá) also known as Wuyi Rougui tea is a kind of Chinese oolong tea and is native to the Wuyi Mountain of Fujian Province. It is also a kind of Wuyi rock tea.

Rougui tea has a history of more than 100 years since it first appeared. It was named after a tea tree called “Rougui”. Rougui means “cinnamon”, but it is not the real cinnamon.

In many national famous tea competitions, as a typical representative of Wuyi rock tea, Rougui tea has won gold medals many times for its quality and unique fragrance.

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History of Rougui Tea

According to historical records, the name of Rougui tea already existed in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), but at that time, Rougui tea is not very famous.

Until 1979, the government strongly supports the development of Rougui tea because of its strong cold resistance, drought resistance, and high survival rate, which made Rougui tea develop rapidly.

In the early days, the price of Rougui tea is about 6 yuan per 500g. At that time, a group of people from Hong Kong came to purchase tea. They liked the Rougui tea very much and they offered 50 yuan per 500g.

Later, the local tea merchants found that the Rougui tea purchased by Hong Kong people for 50 yuan actually sold 500 yuan per 500g in the Hong Kong market. Then, the Wuyi tea merchants realized the potential of Rougui tea and began to let it embark on the road of high-end tea. The price of Rougui tea began to leap forward.

In the early 1940s, Rougui tea was just one of the ten varieties in the tea garden of Wuyi Mountain. Since the 1960s, because of its high quality, it has been gradually known by many people. The planting area of Rougui tea has been expanded year by year, and now it has become the main variety of Wuyi rock tea.

In 1982 and 1986, Rougui tea twice won the award of national famous tea.

Characteristics of Rougui Tea

Rougui tea is made from the fresh leaves of the Rougui tea tree and made by the processing technology of Wuyi Rock tea. It is a variety with strong fragrant in Wuyi rock tea.

Rougui tea tree sprouts in the middle of April every year. The picking time is in the first ten days of May. Rougui tea is generally processed in the spring.

The shape of Rougui tea is neat and curly. The color of dried tea leaves is brown and bright. The color of its tea liquid is clear and orange-yellow or amber.

According to the processing technology, Rougui tea has four common different fragrances:

  • Creamy fragrance
  • Fruity fragrance
  • Cinnamon fragrance
  • Woody fragrance

These fragrances all are natural, with no additives.

According to the growing area, Rougui tea has many nicknames. Rou means “meat”. The nicknames are named after the meat of the animal.

  • Beef tea: the tea trees grow in Niu Lan Keng. Niu means “cattle”.
  • Horse meat tea: the tea trees grow in Ma Tou Yan. Ma Tou means “the head of the horse”.
  • Tiger meat tea: the tea trees grow in Hu Tou Yan. Hu Tou means “the head of the tiger”.
  • Eagle meat tea: the tea trees grow in Ying Zui Yan. Ying Zui means “the mouth of the eagle”.

Beef tea and Horse meat tea are high-quality Rougui tea and they are very expensive.

Benefits of Rougui Tea

Rougui tea has a warm properties. It can disperse cool and relieve pain. In cold winter, a cup of Rougui tea can warm the body and it is suitable for people with a weak and cold body.

Benefits of Rougui tea: