Rou Gui肉桂

Yan Cha · Wuyishan, Fujian, China

Rou Gui 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 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Quick facts

Origin: Wuyishan, Fujian, China
Category: Oolong
Cultivar: Rou Gui (Qing Dynasty origin; now the most widely planted cultivar in Wuyi alongside Shui Xian)
Oxidation: medium
Roast: medium
Water temp: 100°C
Leaf ratio: 6g / 100ml
Infusions: up to 9
Rinse: Yes

Tasting notes

Pull the lid off a warmed gaiwan of Rou Gui and the first thing you get is cinnamon bark — not the sweet baking-spice kind, the sharp pungent kind, closer to cassia stick crushed under a knife. The first sip confirms it. Behind the cinnamon sits dark chocolate and a stone fruit sweetness, with the Wuyi mineral hum underneath keeping the spice from getting hot and messy. Rou Gui is the most direct yancha — no subtlety, no slow reveal, it just shows up. That directness is also its trap: push a steep and the pungency tips into harshness that scrapes the sides of the tongue, and you can't brew around it once it's there. Fast pours, full boiling water, and trust that the spice will carry. Ma Tou Yan lots are sharper and more mineral; Niu Lan Keng leans heavier and darker. The cinnamon should hold through seven steeps — if it fades by three, the tea's hollow.

Flavor profile

The signature cinnamon-bark spice is unmistakable — a warm, pungent kick that persists through 7+ steeps. Behind the spice sits a full, sweet body with hints of stone fruit and chocolate. Zhengyan examples have pronounced minerality and the classic Wuyi 'rock bone, flower fragrance' balance. More assertive and direct than Shui Xian, which is why the two are often blended for Da Hong Pao.

Terroir

Zhengyan examples from Ma Tou Yan (Horse Head Rock) and Niu Lan Keng (Ox Pen Pit) are the most prized. Ma Tou Yan delivers a sharp, pungent cinnamon; Niu Lan Keng emphasizes heavy mineral range and roast integration

Cultivar: Rou Gui (Qing Dynasty origin; now the most widely planted cultivar in Wuyi alongside Shui Xian)

Brewing

Rinse: Quick rinse to wake the roast. The cinnamon aroma should hit you immediately.

Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
Steep 1: 8 seconds
Steep 2: 8 seconds
Steep 3: 10 seconds
Steep 4: 15 seconds
Steep 5: 20 seconds
Steep 6: 25 seconds
Steep 7: 30 seconds
Steep 8: 40 seconds
Steep 9: 55 seconds

Full boiling water, always. Rou Gui's spice character rewards fast early steeps — over-extraction turns the pungency into harshness. The cinnamon note is a litmus test: if it fades early, the tea lacks depth.

Aroma & taste

Aroma

cinnamon bark
charcoal
stone fruit
chocolate

Taste

cinnamon spice
mineral
sweet
chocolate
pungent

Processing

withered
oxidized
twisted
charcoal roasted

Start brewing Rou Gui