Fo Shou

fó shǒu

佛手

“Buddha’s hand” — a Yongchun oolong of unusually huge leaves and a bright citron fragrance. Made light and floral or deep-roasted with caramel, it carries a protected origin and a long, returning sweetness.

Region: Yongchun county, Quanzhou, Fujian
Harvest: Spring; rolled, then roasted
Oxidation: Semi-oxidised, light to deep roast
Cultivar: Fo Shou (Buddha’s hand) bush — huge leaf

In the cup

Citron and ripe pear over a thick, oily body — honey and caramel in the roasted style, with a deep returning sweetness heavier than Tieguanyin.

What it gives

A warming, settling oolong — unusually rich in zinc and flavonoids, kind to digestion and gentle on the stomach.

Fo Shou — Buddha’s hand — is named for the great size of its leaf, said to resemble the gnarled fruit of the citron tree. It grows in Yongchun county near Quanzhou in southern Fujian, where the bush is so distinctive that it rarely flowers and is propagated only from cuttings. The county holds a protected geographical indication for it.

The character is set by the citron note, xiāngyuán, a clean fruity brightness that runs through every grade. Made in the light qīngxiāng style it leads with that fruit and flowers; given a deeper roast it turns to ripe pear, honey and caramel over a notably thick, oily body — heavier in the mouth than the more famous Anxi oolongs.

In the cup

Brew it gongfu, near boiling and short. A white gaiwan suits the lighter style and shows the lid fragrance; a seasoned clay pot rounds the roasted one. Either way the sweetness returns long after the swallow, the prized huígān the leaf is grown for.

How to brew