Rou Gui
A Wuyi rock tea named for its cassia-bark aroma — a warm, spicy, faintly sweet note that appears reliably enough to have become the cultivar’s identity. Alongside Shui Xian it is one of the two dominant Wuyi cultivars in commercial production.
Character
The spice note is genuinely distinctive rather than a tasting-note flourish: cassia appears in the aroma of the empty cup with unusual consistency. Underneath sits the mineral yancha character shared across the family.
- Flavour
- Spice, Roasted, Mineral, Fruity
- Aroma
- Caramelised, Stone fruit
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Rich
- Complexity
- Layered
- Notes
- cassia bark, dark caramel, stone fruit, charcoal
- Aftertaste
- Warm and spicy, with a mineral finish that lasts.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Wuyi Mountains
- Oxidation
- Partially oxidised
- Roast
- Medium
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Roasting
History
Recorded in Wuyi from the Qing dynasty and planted far more widely from the 1980s, when its cinnamon top note proved to suit the market’s shift toward aromatic rock teas. It and Shui Xian now account for most Wuyi planting.
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–7 g/100 ml · 98–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Gongfu brewing (Yixing pot)
5–7 g/100 ml · 98–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 90–95 °C · 2 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
Common mistakes
- Expecting added cinnamon — the note is the leaf’s own
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Wuyi rock tea (yancha)
The cassia aroma gives a first-time drinker an obvious handle on a category that otherwise reads as undifferentiated roast.
- Ban Tian Yao
A lighter roast leaves the underlying Wuyi character legible while the palate adjusts.
- Da Hong Pao
Da Hong Pao is a name applied very broadly. Rou Gui is a specific cultivar with a recognisable cassia signature, which makes it easier to buy honestly.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- GABA oolong
Shares 6 descriptors with Rou Gui: fruity, roasted, full bodied, rich, caramelised and stone fruit.
- Shui Jin Gui
Shares 6 descriptors with Rou Gui: roasted, mineral, fruity, full bodied, rich and caramelised.
- Aged GABA oolong
Shares 5 descriptors with Rou Gui: fruity, full bodied, rich, stone fruit and caramelised.
- Ba Xian
Shares 5 descriptors with Rou Gui: roasted, fruity, full bodied, rich and caramelised.
- Dong Ding
Shares 5 descriptors with Rou Gui: roasted, fruity, full bodied, rich and caramelised.
Written comparisons
Where TeaHQ has set this tea against another in full, rather than deriving the comparison.
- Rou Gui vs Shui Xian — The two most planted Wuyi cultivars, and the pair that best shows what cultivar contributes once roast is held constant.