# Bai Ji Guan (白雞冠)

*Bái Jī Guān · Oolong · Fire*

**archetype:** White rooster

A white rooster cries on the cliff: a clear lemon note through the cliff's fire.

## History

Bai Ji Guan is the 'lightest' of the four famous Wuyi yancha: its leaf is not dark green but pale yellow, almost golden. The oxidation and roast are shorter — only 30–40 % — to keep the high citrus-floral note. It differs from the other 'dan cha' by a bright voice that breaks through even the deepest mineral base of the mountain.

> Tradition tells of a monk walking a path by the cliffs who saw a nest broken by a snake: a small white rooster lay dead, defending its mother. The monk buried the rooster at the root of a tree, and from that spot a bush rose with pale yellow leaves. When the tea is brewed, a clear voice goes into the throat — as if the rooster were crying its last cry. Since then 'Bai Ji Guan' is drunk for courage.

## Terroir

400–700 m. red sandstone and basalt; slightly more sand and quartz than in Niu Lan Keng. narrow gorges, dense mists, but more open slopes — hence the brighter leaf. The best gardens are Huiyuan Yan and Yin Zu Yan, on less shaded slopes; the leaf there gets a little more sun, and the citrus note speaks louder.

## Leaf

- **dry leaf:** mottled yellow-green twisted strands — visibly lighter than any other Wuyi yancha; in the hand smelling of lemon zest and dry grass
- **warmed:** the warmed leaf — bright lemon zest, ripe melon, meadow grass, a faint warmed stone
- **after pour:** after the infusion — lemon, melon, white flower, a thin note of warmed porcelain
- **taste:** lemon zest, ripe melon, green grass, warm stone; in the middle infusions a honey sweetness
- **finish:** long, cool, leaving in the throat a thin citrus note and a stony minerality

## Properties

- **TCM:** cool, yin; clears heat, brightens the head, supports the liver and lungs
- **Modern:** rich in volatile citrus esters and moderate catechins; gently invigorating, good for the nervous system
- **Cha qi:** light, rising into the head; felt as 'a window opening' at the temples
- **Caffeine:** moderate (30–45 mg)

## Brewing ritual

a 110 ml gaiwan — so the freshness is not lost; 98 °C; 7 g / 110 ml. 8s — the first call: lemon zest, meadow grass; 10s — the peak: ripe melon, warm stone; 12s — a sweet finish, a faint honey; 18s — a long fresh note; 30s — a late call — thin coolness.

## When to drink

morning and early day. spring and early autumn — for the thin air. when you need freshness, clarity of thought, voice; in the morning after poor sleep. lemon tarts, white fish, ripe melon, fine biscuits. morning alone; the start of a working meeting

## Tea meditation

1. Hear the morning voice.
2. The lemon note must be loud, like a rooster.
3. Let the freshness wake you — but gently, through the throat.

## Questions and answers

### How do you brew Bai Ji Guan?

a 110 ml gaiwan — so the freshness is not lost; 98 °C; 7 g / 110 ml. 8s — the first call: lemon zest, meadow grass; 10s — the peak: ripe melon, warm stone; 12s — a sweet finish, a faint honey; 18s — a long fresh note; 30s — a late call — thin coolness.

### What does Bai Ji Guan taste like?

lemon zest, ripe melon, green grass, warm stone; in the middle infusions a honey sweetness

### How much caffeine is in Bai Ji Guan?

moderate (30–45 mg)

### What are the effects of Bai Ji Guan?

rich in volatile citrus esters and moderate catechins; gently invigorating, good for the nervous system

## Related teas

- [Da Hong Pao](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/da-hong-pao)
- [Shui Jin Gui](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/shui-jin-gui)
- [Tie Luo Han](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/tie-luo-han)
- [Oolong](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/class/oolong)