Jin Suo Chi金锁匙

Jin Suo Chi is a Yan Cha oolong from Wuyishan, Fujian, China. Brew it at 100°C with 6g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 8 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Start with the bitterness. That's the thing to understand about Jin Suo Chi — Golden Key — one of the ten famous Wuyi clusters and a tea most Western drinkers have never met. The first sip on the palate is lightly bitter, almost herbal, and if you panic and pull the next pour short you miss the whole point. That bitterness is the setup: within seconds it transforms into a building sweetness that climbs up the sides of the tongue, followed by a rose fragrance that surfaces around steep three or four. The dry leaf smells like cream and dark chocolate. Brew at full rolling boil — this is a twisted, multiply-roasted yancha and the leaves need heat to give up their cluster character. Rinse once to open the broad leaf, then follow the short schedule. Don't chase aromatics the way you would with Huang Mei Gui; this tea rewards patience with huigan, not perfume. Eight steeps, smooth body, no astringency worth mentioning.

Flavor profile

A rare and understated yancha with a creamy aroma and smooth, full-bodied liquor. Opens with sweet herbal and chocolate-like notes on the dry leaf. In the cup, an initial light bitterness on the palate quickly transforms into building sweetness. A subtle rose fragrance weaves through the middle steeps. The Daping terroir brings fruity highlights and an intense lingering sweetness.

Terroir

Historically grown in Daping area of Wuyi; one of the Ten Famous Clusters (Shi Da Ming Cong)

Cultivar: Jin Suo Chi (over 100-year cultivation history; noted for natural cold and drought resistance)

Brewing

Rinse: Rinse opens the broad, twisted leaves and starts releasing the creamy aroma.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 10 seconds
3. Steep 2: 10 seconds
4. Steep 3: 15 seconds
5. Steep 4: 20 seconds
6. Steep 5: 25 seconds
7. Steep 6: 30 seconds
8. Steep 7: 40 seconds
9. Steep 8: 50 seconds

Full boiling water. The bitterness-to-sweetness transformation is part of the experience — don't pull steeps too short or you'll miss the huigan development.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• oxidized
• twisted
• multiple charcoal roasts

Sources

• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/jin-yao-shi-golden-key-wu-yi-mountain-rock-oolong-tea
• https://teadb.org/wuyi-oolong-compendium/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Suo_Chi_tea
• https://teapedia.org/en/Jin_Suo_Chi
• https://cosmictortoisetea.com/products/golden-key