Brew & Blossom Floral Zhangping Shuixian

Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: compressed, bright green
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Steep Time: 15 seconds
Preparation Method:  ceramic gaiwan
Liquor: buttery yellow

Shirley from Brew & Blossom recently contacted me to see if she could share some teas for review here on the blog. While her company is new, her experience in tea is not. Shirley grew up near tea fields and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Tea Science. She is also a certified Tea Artist and Taster, and is currently pursuing the UK Tea Academy Specialist Diploma.

I was particularly excited to receive this Floral Zhangping Shuixian because it is uncommon to see oolong cakes. Shuixan is often associated with rock tea of the Wuyi Mountains, but this is a classical tea style of Fujian Province. The processing style is similar to Tie Guan Yin, except that the leaves are hand-pressed into square cakes and wrapped in paper for preservation and storage.

Leaf

Brew & Blossom’s Floral Zhangping Shuixian was harvested in the spring of 2025 in Dahuai Village. The bushes were 30-40 years old and were grown at an elevation of 600-800 meters. Its dark green leaves were somewhat loosely compressed. I noticed a subtle floral and grassy aroma. Each pillow is wrapped in plain white paper and contains approximately 10g of tea.

It broke my heart a bit to break off a piece for brewing, but that is a lot of tea for one session. After a quick rinse, I prepared this tea using Brew & Blossom’s recommended parameters of fully boiling water and a first infusion of 15 seconds. That was increased gradually for later infusions. A red tinge of oxidation could be seen on the edges of the leaves once they unfurled.

Liquor

Brew & Blossom Floral Zhangping Shuixian brewed up a buttery yellow liquor. The aroma coming from the leaves was incredibly floral, filling my senses even before taking my first sip. The taste was fresh and vegetal with notes of lilacs and toasted sesame seeds. There was also a slight fruitiness that reminded me of poached pear. It was very refreshing and well-balanced.

The aroma settles down after the fourth infusion, but it is still utterly lovely. I highly recommend taking the time to sniff your gaiwan lid or even using an aroma cup to help you really appreciate it. I also received a sample of the aged version of this tea, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.

Have you ever tried Brew & Blossom’s Floral Zhangping Shuixian? What were your tasting notes? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Floral Zhangping Shuixian sample provided for review by Brew & Blossom.

Help Support This Site

Please support my work in tea by joining my Patreon community. For $2-$5 a month, you’ll receive access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content, my private Discord server, surprise quarterly packages, and more!

Join My Patreon Community