All 4 oz. packages feature custom "Agate Hunter" artwork by Megan Visel.

For the thrill of the hunt. The aromatic energy of hot rocks with a charged mouthfeel. Bright mineral cup with a sweet charcoal character. This tea is often known as “Big Red Robe,” the standard for rock tea.

“Agate Hunter” is our newly dedicated name for this traditional style “rock tea” – an homage to its inherently mineral-like character and the coveted gemstones sought here in the Lake Superior basin.

This lot was completed on May 10, 2022 by Mr. Tang Shuang Jiang, better known to us as Mr. Soup. It’s a blend of cultivars from the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian and Tieguanyin from southern Fujian. 

Jian Ou is next door to Wuyi, the home of rock tea in north Fujian. Mr. Soup has a friend there who makes tea from Shui Xian, Mei Zhan, Qi Lan, and Rou Gui – all classic rock tea cultivars. Mr. Soup blends these four teas with the famous Tieguanyin cultivar from Anxi in south Fujian and roasts them into a unified profile.

Big Red Robe or “Da Hong Pao” is the signature tea of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province, China. This is also known as “Rock Tea” or “Rock Oolong”, which can be confusing, but they all mean the same thing. It is said to have originated as two plants in the Tian Xin temple in Wuyi. The monks there spent a great amount of time and resources on these plants and the outcome was the now famous Big Red Robe. Though the plants do not exist in the temple anymore, it is believed to be the same plant that is growing out the side of a rock face nearby that is considered the official mother bush “Da Hong Pao” plant (Qi Dan cultivar). As to be expected, there is not 100% agreement on this as fact.  A comprehensive written record of Da Hong Pao production doesn’t appear until 1943. In 1949, the Chinese government took ownership of the original plants and placed strict protections over them, but in China’s reform era of the 1980’s the practice of using other cultivars to make Big Red Robe became routine. Now “Big Red Robe”, “Wuyi Rock Tea”, and “Rock Oolong” are all synonymous.

Ingredients: oolong tea

Steeping Instructions

5 grams | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 4 min.

Iced Tea Instructions

6 grams | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 4 min. | Pour over ice.

Number of Cups

4 oz makes 38 cups, 1 lb makes 151 cups