Lao Shu Rou Gui
Regular price
$28.00
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re a beginner, we definitely recommend our Go-to Tea Sampler Box. It includes 8 different types of high-quality teas, allowing you to discover your favorite tea in the most affordable way.
For finest taste, tea should be stored in a place that is cool and dry.
Rock tea is best enjoyed within a 3-year period.
Black tea is best enjoyed within a 2-year period.
Green tea and Oolong tea are best enjoyed within a 2-year period.
White tea is an exception. Its internal compounds evolve over time, enhancing its fragrance and creating a deeper, mellower taste. Therefore, it does not have a specific optimal drinking period.
All packages are shipped from China. Please kindly note that our teas are prepared at our warehouse in Fujian, which usually takes no more than 72 hours. Once ready, package will be sent to an international shipping company in Shenzhen, then shipped to the destination country. International shipping typically takes 14-21 days.
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What are the “roots” of Rooteas?
Family-made
Our teas all come from tea-making families. Some are made by our own family, and others are crafted by families we've known and trusted for years. Not from an unknown source, but from real people and family producers whose craft we trust and have seen in person.
Single-origin
It means you can actually taste where the tea comes from. It stays true to its own place, so the local soil, rocks, and climate all come through in the cup. With Wuyi rock oolong, you get that clear rock rhythm (Yan Yun) and a deep, lingering fragrance that only those rocky slopes can give. When you drink it, you're not just having a cup of tea, you're getting a small snapshot of that landscape.
Transparency
We like to keep things honest and simple. When we share a tea, we share all the detailed information too, so you always know what you're drinking. We'd love to be the trusted tea partner you can turn to.
- Name: Lao Shu Rou Gui (“Old Tree Cinnamon”)
- Chinese name & Pinyin: 老树肉桂 lǎo shù ròu guì
- Type: Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea
- Origin: Wuyishan, Fujian
- Harvest Time: Spring, 2025
- Roast Level: Medium fire ("zhōng huǒ", "中火")
Click to learn more about our roast levels
- Producer: Xiao Family
- Tasting note: Balanced cinnamon note, Light herbal note in the finish, Smooth and mellow
Why lǎo shù (“old tree”, “老树”) instead of lǎo cóng (“old bush”, “老枞”)?
In the context of Wuyi yancha, lǎo cóng (“old bush”, “老枞”) is generally used for arbor-type tea plants that are more than 60 years old. Rou Gui is different. It is a shrub cultivar, lower in growth, with finer branches and a more limited lifespan than arbor-type teas such as Shui Xian. Once Rou Gui passes around 40 years, the plants usually begin to decline, their aromatic intensity weakens, and replanting often becomes necessary over time. That is why it is described as lǎo shù (“old tree”, “老树”).
How tree age shows in this tea?
Compared with younger Rou Gui, this 30-year-old planting shows a quieter, more settled side of the cultivar. The sharp, stimulating edge of its cinnamon note softens into something gentler and more rounded, while the liquor becomes finer and more mellow in texture. What makes this tea distinctive is what happens after you swallow. A slow herbal note begins to unfold in the mouth, especially deep in the throat, followed by a cooling sensation, a subtle mineral savoriness, and a lasting sweetness.
Tea: 8g
Gaiwan: 110–150ml
Water Temperature: 100°C / 212°F
(When possible, use spring water, purified water, or good-quality mineral water. Avoid using very hard water)
Use flash steeping (pour out the tea in about 3s). Do not oversteep. As the flavor begins to fade, extend each infusion by 5–10s as needed.
Note: Be sure to pour out the tea soup completely after each infusion. Do not let it sit in the gaiwan.
(Adjust the tea amount and steeping time to suit your own taste.)
