Zhangping Shuixian Oolong Tea Cakes- Zhena's Favorite!

Moderate Caffeine

Zhangping Shuixian is one of the rarest and most culturally significant oolong teas in the world—and the only traditionally pressed oolong in China. Grown in Southern Fujian, this limited-production tea is hand-pressed into delicate square cakes using century-old methods recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. With its soft floral aroma, smooth body, and gradually unfolding flavor, this tea is both a sensory experience and a living piece of history.

Zhangping Shuixian Oolong Tea

  • Rich in antioxidants
  • Promotes Calm Energy
  • Encourages Digestive Ease
  • Supports Mindfulness
  • Naturally Low in Bitterness
  • Zhangping Shuixian offers a soft, smooth body with gentle floral aromas reminiscent of gardenia, magnolia, and wild orchid. Its pressed form opens gradually over multiple steeps, revealing layers of honeyed stone fruit, warm sugarcane, and a hint of roasted sweetness. The finish is clean and lingering, like the air after spring rain.
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Semi-fermented with the lightest touch - like morning dew on petals. This gentle oxidation preserves the natural sweetness while coaxing out deeper notes of honey and cream that dance on your palate.

Here's the magic: with each steeping, new flavors bloom. First infusion brings bright florals and honeyed notes. Second reveals deeper cream and vanilla whispers. Third offers stone fruit sweetness with hints of caramel. Generous and giving - seven, eight, sometimes nine infusions of pure grace.
Water at 194°F awakens without overwhelming. Three to five minutes, but trust your intuition. When it smells like a garden party and tastes like liquid sunshine, you know it's ready.
This is tea as ceremony, as sweet ritual, as the flavor of connection itself.

Ancient Roots & Early Development

An aerial view captures a lush, green terraced hillside in Zhejiang, China, bathed in golden sunlight. The terraces create intricate patterns dedicated to cultivating Organic Dragonwell Longjing Green Tea- ARCHIVE, framed by trees at the edges. The warm glow of the sun accentuates the vibrant greenery of the landscape.
The 1914 Innovation That Changed Everything

In 1914, Deng Guanjin developed the pressed cake method to solve transport and storage issues caused by the tea’s large, moisture-prone leaves. The resulting square tea “biscuits” gave Zhangping Shuixian its iconic form—and ensured its longevity.

A Bridge Between Tea Cultures

Zhangping Shuixian is considered a historical link between Chinese and Taiwanese tea traditions—its square shape even influencing early baozhong teas. Some experts trace its genetics to one of the oldest surviving tea cultivars near Beiliao village.

Hot water is being poured over Zhangping Shuixian Oolong loose leaf tea in a white cup with a saucer, with more tea cups and a plate of loose Zhangping Shuixian Oolong leaves in the background.
Award-Winning Excellence

Zhangping Shuixian has earned gold medals at prestigious expos like the Panama and Shanghai Expos, along with decades of recognition from Fujian’s agricultural authorities for its unmatched quality and craftsmanship.

Customer Reviews

How to Steep Loose Leaf Tea

What is Tea Ceremony?

FAQ

Yes, all of our teas undergo rigorous third-party testing to ensure they meet the highest standards for quality, purity, and safety. We proudly hold certifications for each blend, so you can sip confidently, knowing that our teas are crafted with care and integrity.

Our teas are cultivated, harvested, and blended from soil to cup with the Magic Hour Rule of Love. The base of our teas is grown in the tea estate where I was married :)! The exquisite buds are grown and harvested by our friends in a garden that touches the sky at the top of the mountains in the high-country of Sri Lanka. The pristine Idulgashinna Bio Tea Garden’s perched above a wildlife preserve. It was the first tea garden to become certified Biodynamic and organic in the world, it’s home to our family of farmers and growers whose respect towards nature and one another has become the gold standard of tea estates all over the world. We also source from small organic family gardens in Taiwan, Rwanda, India, Yunnan, Kyoto and Kagoshima, Japan.

Our formulator, Zhena, is an aromatherapist and was one of the founders of the Organic and Fair Trade movement over 25 years ago. She was crucial in getting rules for organics passed and has had a long-time passion for organics, Biodynamics and pure products. Her blending style is bold and she uses Organic-Compliant extracts of fruits, essential oils, and spices that fall under the “Natural Flavors” broad stroke ingredient description by the FDA. We only use extracts and flavors extracted with non-toxic methods and are 100% natural coming from the fruit or spice or flower that is distilled without chemicals.

Other companies may use “Natural Flavors” that are in a Propylene Glycol base—Zhena fought the label standards on this chemical 15 years ago and is dedicated to NEVER using flavorings with this or any other chemicals. Our flavors are entirely extracted naturally using alcohol or steam distillation. In the blending process, if the extract has alcohol, the alcohol dissipates. If you’ve ever used Vanilla Extract for cooking—you’ve used what Zhena uses in larger volumes.

When we writes, “Natural Flavors” it’s not because we wants to but that’s what the FDA requires. It’s not a great description and we assure you our standards are of the highest using only natural extracts and essential oils.

Please feel free to enjoy most of our teas without worry regarding being vegan compliant.
As of May of 2021, the only tea we have that is not vegan is Quintessence, which contains honey crystals.

You could steep our teas many times. A new flavor nuance will arise each time. If you’re planning to steep more than twice, you might want to add an additional teaspoon or two according to taste and the strength desired.

It's a common misconception that tea ceremony has to take up a lot of time from your schedule. I want to encourage you to take time for yourself, daily, in a simple tea ceremony. Simply naming 3 gratitudes as your water boils will uplift and shift your day!

However, the process only has to take as little as 10 minutes! For example, for most of our teas we suggest steeping 1 heaping teaspoon in water that is between 160--212 degrees (depending on the tea type--check the label!). As you steep your tea for the recommended minutes, take 3 heart-breaths, expanding the emerald green energy of your heart chakra. As you expand that blessed energy, you will activate your true intelligence which is found in the heart.

Then as you steep your loose-leaf magical tea, center into your senses. As yourself the Magic Hour sensory questions:

  • What do I hear?
  • What do I see?
  • What do I feel?
  • What do I smell?
  • What do I taste?

Then sip your tea with newfound presence.

Presence is where heaven is found. We want you to find your heaven on a daily basis!
For more steeping instructions, watch my video found here.