We are Katniss and Alaric, a young couple from the Xiao family. Our family’s work has long centered on Wuyi rock oolong (with some Wuyi black tea as well), and the tea-making is still led by Katniss’s uncle, who has spent nearly 30 years working through each stage of processing and roasting. Watching that work up close over time has shaped how we understand rock oolong too. We have seen how much depends on both the leaf and the fire. Good material can still fall flat if the processing is off. A roast can add depth, but if handled carelessly, it can also cover up the character of the leaf. In the end, you can taste whether those parts are working together or not.

For some years, we were doing regular office jobs. Tea was never far from us, though, and over time we found ourselves wanting to give more of our energy to it. Rooteas grew out of that.

Some of the teas at Rooteas are made by our own family. Others come from tea-making families we have known for years, both in Wuyishan and beyond. We do not choose teas just because they have a good story behind them or sound attractive. What matters to us is whether the people behind them are serious about the work: the quality of the leaf, the way the tea is processed, and the judgment that comes after picking. That is how we came to work with the families below. Here we introduce them, along with the teas they make and the places they come from.