{"product_id":"rou-gui","title":"Rou Gui (Wuyi Cinnamon Oolong) — Loose Leaf Wuyi Rock Tea","description":"\u003ch2\u003eRou Gui: Wuyi Cinnamon Oolong\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eOther names: Rou Gui, Rougui, Rou Kuei, Wuyi Rou Gui, Cinnamon Oolong, Cassia Oolong, Wuyi Cinnamon Tea, Wuyi Rock Tea, 肉桂, 武夷岩茶\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat Is Rou Gui?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere's a question for you:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewhat do Wuyi locals actually drink at home?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost people guess Shui Xian — the famously smooth one. But spend any time in the Wuyi mountains and you'll notice something: the tea on the table, more often than not, is \u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui\u003c\/strong\u003e (肉桂).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere's a reason. Rou Gui doesn't ease you in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe signature \u003cstrong\u003ecinnamon-bark aroma\u003c\/strong\u003e (the name literally means \"cassia\") rises fast and speaks plainly — one sip and you know exactly what this tea is made of. In the mountains, where guests come and go and tea is how conversations start, that directness matters. A couple of brews and the room warms up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome teas you grow to understand. Some teas say everything in the first sip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui is the second kind.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a \u003cstrong\u003eWuyi Rock Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e (武夷岩茶) — semi-oxidised, charcoal-roasted, grown on the same mineral cliffs as our \u003cstrong\u003eDa Hong Pao\u003c\/strong\u003e. But where Da Hong Pao balances everything into one layered cup, \u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui Oolong\u003c\/strong\u003e picks a lane and commits: bold, spicy, intense, with a strong returning sweetness that hits fast and stays.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like your coffee strong and your opinions stronger, this is your \u003cstrong\u003eWuyi Rock Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThree Wuyi Rock Teas, Three Personalities\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRou Gui is the bold one — but it's just one of three \u003cstrong\u003eWuyi Rock Teas\u003c\/strong\u003e worth knowing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll three grow on the same mineral cliffs of Wu Yi Mountain, share the same heavy-oxidation craft, and carry the same signature \u003cstrong\u003eYan Yun\u003c\/strong\u003e (岩韵, \"rock rhyme\"). What separates them is personality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg height=\"493\" width=\"369\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/Gemini_Generated_Image_g3mus4g3mus4g3mu.png?v=1781011859\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui\u003c\/strong\u003e (you're here) — bold and spicy. Cinnamon-bark aroma, intense body, fast and lasting sweetness. The tea that wakes the table up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/da-hong-pao\" style=\"font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eDa Hong Pao\u003c\/a\u003e — the all-rounder. Floral, fruit, fire, all layered in one cup. The flagship of Wuyi Rock Tea.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/shui-xian\" style=\"font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eShui Xian\u003c\/a\u003e (also known as Daffodil) — smooth and elegant. Mellow, floral, more silk than fire. The softest entry point into Wuyi.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little local wisdom: in Wuyi, Rou Gui is the tea for company — direct, warming, easy to share.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShui Xian is the tea for quiet afternoons alone. Most serious Wuyi drinkers keep both.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree teas. One mountain. Same \u003cstrong\u003eYan Yun\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Yan Yun in Rou Gui\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe covered the full story of \u003cstrong\u003eYan Yun\u003c\/strong\u003e (岩韵) — the \"rock rhyme\" that defines all Wuyi Rock Tea — on our \u003ca href=\"\/products\/da-hong-pao\" style=\"font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eDa Hong Pao\u003c\/a\u003e page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut honestly? You don't fully get it until you stand in the tea pits yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\" height=\"172\" width=\"129\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/9.jpg?v=1781055469\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\" height=\"173\" width=\"130\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/10.jpg?v=1781055469\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\" height=\"173\" width=\"130\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/6_002b92d3-5492-427e-9a78-61d0cda2c6e3.jpg?v=1781055469\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/5_61f10e8e-3b3e-4eef-bb28-6da5c38b057e.jpg?v=1781055468\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"174\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWalk into one of the famous Wuyi \"pits\" (坑) and the first thing that hits you is the air — cool, damp, mineral. Steep rock walls on both sides. A stream running somewhere below. Tea bushes growing out of what looks like pure stone. This is the terrain that produces top-grade \u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui\u003c\/strong\u003e — and standing in it, you suddenly understand why this tea tastes the way it does. The boldness isn't bravado. It's geology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then there's the labour. During harvest season, tea farmers carry fresh leaves up and down those cliffs on shoulder poles — load after load, all day. The Chinese say tea has \"nine hardships\" (茶有九难) — nine stages where everything can go wrong between leaf and cup. Watch one harvest in the Wuyi pits and you'll never look at the price of good \u003cstrong\u003eWuyi Rock Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e the same way again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is also why Rou Gui has become the benchmark tea of modern Wuyi — when locals want to judge a tea maker's skill, they ask for the Rou Gui first. There's nowhere to hide in this cultivar. Done badly, it's harsh. Done right, it's electric.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat to Expect in the Cup\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpen the pouch: tightly knotted, greenish-brown strands with a dark lustre, and a dry aroma that already smells like cinnamon bark and toasted sugar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the cup:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLiquor:\u003c\/strong\u003e deep orange-red, clear and bright — noticeably darker than Da Hong Pao\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAroma:\u003c\/strong\u003e cinnamon bark first, unmistakable — then cream, ripe fruit, and a warm charcoal undertone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTexture:\u003c\/strong\u003e full-bodied and assertive, with a tingling, almost spicy sensation on the tongue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFinish:\u003c\/strong\u003e strong \u003cstrong\u003e回甘\u003c\/strong\u003e (returning sweetness) that arrives fast and holds, with the mineral \u003cstrong\u003eYan Yun\u003c\/strong\u003e depth underneath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrews:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7-10 infusions from a single 7g of leaf — the cinnamon note evolves from sharp to sweet as you go\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first brew is the loudest — spice, fire, attention. By brew three, the creamy fruit comes forward. By brew six, the spice has softened into something sweeter and rounder, and the rock minerality takes the lead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRou Gui doesn't do subtle. That's exactly the point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo — convinced? Brew this \u003cstrong\u003eRou Gui Oolong Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e the right way, check out our professional \u003cstrong\u003eBrewing Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eStorage Care\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eThe Origins\u003c\/strong\u003e below 👇\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ValleyGreenTea","offers":[{"title":"50g","offer_id":45565923655859,"sku":"OL03","price":23.05,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0743\/1798\/8019\/files\/Rou_Gui.jpg?v=1781055451","url":"https:\/\/www.valleygreentea.com.au\/products\/rou-gui","provider":"Valley Green Tea","version":"1.0","type":"link"}