Shui Jin Gui水金龜

Shui Jin Gui is a oolong from Wuyishan, Fujian. 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.

Tasting notes

Shui Jin Gui is lighter-oxidized than most of the Si Da Ming Cong, and the cup shows it — the fruit character is right there from the first sip instead of waiting for the roast to burn off. Sweet potato and caramel lead, with a real citrus note underneath, something like baked orange. By steep three a soft floral lift comes in and the dark-chocolate aroma from the roast integrates with the fruit instead of fighting it. The yan yun is slower here, building across the back half of the session rather than hitting early. What I like about Shui Jin Gui is what it doesn't do: it never turns bitter, even if you let a steep run slightly long. The greener profile has limits though — it exhausts around steep seven where heavier yancha keep going. True zhengyan lots are rare and the price reflects it. Off-mountain Shui Jin Gui can taste flat and vegetal; worth paying for the real thing.

Flavor profile

One of Wuyi's four famous bushes (Si Da Ming Cong), prized since the Ming Dynasty. Less oxidized and greener than its famous cousins, with stronger fruit character. The cup is complex — sweet potato, caramel, grass, and spice layered together. Natural citrus and fruit flavors are Shui Jin Gui's signature. Charcoal roast adds dark chocolate aroma with a sweet floral finish that never turns bitter.

Terroir

Wuyi zhengyan (true rock) mineral soil, grown since Ming Dynasty

Cultivar: Shui Jin Gui

Brewing

Rinse: Quick rinse at boiling — classic yancha treatment.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 10 seconds
3. Steep 2: 8 seconds
4. Steep 3: 8 seconds
5. Steep 4: 10 seconds
6. Steep 5: 15 seconds
7. Steep 6: 20 seconds
8. Steep 7: 25 seconds
9. Steep 8: 30 seconds
10. Steep 9: 45 seconds

The greener oxidation of Shui Jin Gui means the fruit character shines early. The yan yun (rock rhyme) mineral aftertaste builds in the second half of the session. True zhengyan Shui Jin Gui is rare — supply is limited.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• semi-oxidized
• twisted
• charcoal-roasted

Sources

• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/shui-jin-gui-golden-water-turtle-wu-yi-rock-oolong-tea-1
• https://meileaf.com/tea/golden-turtle/
• https://sevencups.com/shop/shui-jin-gui-golden-water-turtle-rock-wulong-tea/
• https://verdanttea.com/shui-jin-gui-light-roast-reserve-oolong