SUPER BUTTERFLY WUYI

Throughout the history of Chinese tea making artisans have looked to folklore and legend for inspiration. Why? Chinese literature is filled with tales of love loss and heartache - the drama of life. The artisans of old believed that the profound and dramatic nuances of existence could be experienced and understood with each and every sip of their creations. One of the most famous of these ancient stories is The Legend of the Butterfly Lovers believed to have been the tale that served as the inspiration for this amazing Wuyi mountain oolong.

The story tells of the tragic events leading up to the inevitable demise of the main characters the maiden Zhu Yingtai and the young man Liang Shanbo. Zhu wanted to go away to study but since girls weren't allowed to attend school in ancient times she was told to remain at home. Undaunted, she disguised herself as a boy and set off for a far away boarding school. Along the way she met another student Liang. Liang was headed for the same school as Zhu and the two became best of friends. Liang had no idea that his friend was actually a girl. Years passed and Liang found himself the victim of an arranged marriage to a woman he did not love. Zhu revealed that she was indeed a woman and offered to marry him, but his parents objected. Heartbroken, Liang died and his body was laid in a dark tomb.

On the day of the funeral, Zhu stood weeping when suddenly the tomb miraculously cracked open. Realizing that her only chance to be with Liang was in death, she threw herself into the tomb and died. Moments later, an astonished hush rose from the assembled crowd as two butterflies fluttered out of the open tomb flying off into the heavens - their spirits finally united. And there you have it.

At some point a Wuyi tea maker perhaps doubly inspired by the wealth of butterflies living in the vicinity of Wuyi (in recent years certified as a UNESCO world heritage site and biosphere) decided to make a tea in honor of the butterfly's supernatural capacity to represent the human spirit. (Interestingly the ancient tale is still so popular with the Chinese people that it is currently being considered for the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity - also from UNESCO.) In his opinion, one sip of his incredible oolong opened up the depths of the soul allowing one to peer beyond the longing and suffering that can trouble the heart as it did the two lovers. Flash forward a few hundred years and we can only but agree - Super Butterfly is an absolutely exquisite tea - almost supernaturally so.