China Sets a New National Standard for Wuyi Rock Tea, Effective April 2027

China has issued a revised national standard for Wuyi rock tea, GB/T 18745-2026, that puts a quantified grading system behind the tea's prized "rock rhyme" and takes effect on 1 April 2027.

The standard was approved on 31 March 2026 by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration. It replaces GB/T 18745-2006, the version that had governed yancha for twenty years.

For a drinker, the change that matters is the sensory system. The new standard sets out an eight-factor evaluation terminology, giving yan yun (rock rhyme), long a connoisseur's word, a more objective basis to be judged against.

It also defines "aged rock tea" (chen nian yan cha) for the first time, a category the market has traded for years without an official description to point at.

The remaining changes are structural. Physiochemical limits are now built around tea polyphenols; cultivation, harvesting, and production specifications were restructured to match current practice; shelf-life labeling was clarified; and the food-safety indicators were aligned with the GB 2763-2026 pesticide residue limits.

The old title read "geographical indication product"; the new one reads "geographical indication product quality requirements." The emphasis moves from where the tea is grown to how good it is.

Rock rhyme has been described in words for three centuries. From April 2027 it will also be described in a grading table. Which tea it is, and where it is made, are set out in the regions guide.

Sources: Fujian Daily, 武夷岩茶新国标来了！有7大新变化！; National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, GB/T 18745-2026 地理标志产品质量要求 武夷岩茶.