Product Overview
Tucked away in the heart of old Hong Kong, Fukien Tea Company stands as one of the city’s last bastions of traditional tea craftsmanship. For over six decades, this family-run tea house has quietly upheld the art of hand-roasting — a time-consuming, fire-guided craft that few still practice today. The shop’s appearance remains almost unchanged from the mid-20th century: shelves lined with vintage metal tins, faded family photos, and the comforting scent of roasted leaves lingering in the air. Here, tea is not just sold — it is preserved, taught, and lived.
Founded by a Fujianese tea family that settled in Hong Kong after the war, Fukien Tea Company has become a living archive of southern China’s oolong-making heritage. Every generation has passed down not only the technique but also the intuition — knowing by sight, touch, and aroma when a leaf has reached its perfect roast. In an era dominated by industrial processing, the shop’s quiet persistence feels like a window to a slower, more deliberate world, where each batch of tea is still tended by hand and judged by the nose and palate of a true craftsman.
At the center of this legacy is Master Patrick Yeung, affectionately known as Yeung sifu to locals and regulars. Now in his seventies, he continues to roast tea himself every day, adjusting temperature and timing by instinct. Visitors to the shop often find him seated behind a small wooden tea table, preparing side-by-side tastings that reveal the profound difference between a lightly roasted six-hour tea and a deeply roasted sixty-hour one. He speaks softly but with precision, turning each tasting into a quiet masterclass in aroma, patience, and balance.
Master Yeung’s philosophy is simple yet profound: roasting is not just about applying heat, but about transforming the soul of the leaf. Through gentle, prolonged fire, the natural florals of tea evolve into rich, layered notes of caramel, toasted grains, and aged fruit. His shop may be small, but under his care it has become a cultural landmark — a hidden sanctuary where the spirit of traditional Hong Kong tea-making continues to breathe.
Buying tea from Fukien Tea Company is more than a transaction — it is an invitation to experience something that is disappearing. Many visitors remember sitting with Master Yeung for their first roasting comparison, learning to recognize how heat shapes flavor, texture, and aftertaste. When you enjoy this tea at home, you are continuing that experience, cup by cup, savoring a lineage that bridges Fujian’s mountains and Hong Kong’s backstreets.
This Shuixian is made from carefully selected leaves grown in the misty mountains of northern Fujian, then finished in Hong Kong through a slow, traditional charcoal-roasting process. The tea undergoes multiple rounds of controlled oxidation and deep roasting, each stage guided by the hands and intuition of Master Yeung. The entire refinement may span over fifty to seventy hours of low, steady heat, allowing the inner sugars and aromatic compounds to gently transform. The result is a tea of depth and maturity rarely seen in modern production — full-bodied, nuanced, and quietly powerful.
The dry leaves are large, twisted, and elegantly dark, showing a satin sheen with hints of mahogany and amber along the edges. Once steeped, they open into broad, supple leaves of deep bronze — a testament to both the leaf quality and the master’s patient fire control.
The aroma begins with warm notes of baked grain, toasted wood, and a wisp of charcoal. With each infusion, the tea reveals new layers: dark honey, stone fruit, and a mellow mineral sweetness characteristic of fine Shuixian. As the roast settles, a gentle floral undertone rises — subtle but persistent — lingering long after the cup is empty.
The liquor is smooth and rounded, carrying a gentle thickness that coats the palate. Early steeps emphasize roasted warmth and woody sweetness; later brews unveil deeper mineral notes, hints of dried plum, and a soothing, nectar-like finish. The aftertaste is calm, cooling, and remarkably persistent. Brewed gongfu-style, this tea easily yields eight to ten rewarding infusions, each one unfolding with quiet elegance.
To drink this Shuixian is to experience a fading chapter of Hong Kong’s tea-roasting heritage — a craft shaped by charcoal, focus, and time. Every batch is roasted under the Hong Kong master, preserving a tradition built on patience and respect. For collectors, lovers of roasted oolongs, or anyone seeking warmth and depth in the cup, this tea offers both comfort and craftsmanship.
Brewing Guide:
Teaware: Use a 100–150 ml gaiwan or a small Yixing clay teapot (150–250 ml).
Tea-to-water ratio: About 7–8 g per 150 ml of water.
Water temperature: 95–100 °C (near boiling).
Rinse: Give the leaves a quick rinse of 3–5 seconds to awaken the aroma.
First steep: 25–35 seconds; adjust to preference.
Subsequent steeps: Gradually increase the time — 40–50 seconds, then 1–1.5 minutes, extending further for later rounds.
