Description
Storage guide: Store away from strong smells and out of direct light. Best kept in an air tight container.
Tieguanyin (Oolong)
Tieguanyin is the most famous of Anxi county's Oolong teas. Tieguanyin's complex process of rolling during oxidisation forms tight pellets of tea with a complex range of flavours which slowly emerge when brewed. Prior to the 1990’s Tieguanyin and other Oolong teas were more heavily oxidised with a longer baking process, producing a deep brown coloured dry leaf tea, that was sometimes classed as an amber Oolong. Modern styles of Qingxiang (light fragrance) Oolong are much lighter and often mistaken as green tea due to the bright colour of the dried leaf. For this reason, you will often find these being called Jade Tieguanyin or just Jade Oolong.
Tieguanyin (Tie Guan Yin 铁观音) has a number of different ways of being spelt including Ti Kuan Yin, Tieh Kwan Yin & Tie Kwan Yin etc. which are derived from the Min Nan language and dialects where it is pronounced Tit Kwun Yum or Thih-koan-im. The name Tie Guan Yin can be translated as Tea of the Iron Bodhisattva, Iron Goddess of Mercy or sometimes just Iron Buddha tea. Traditionally the premium grades of Tie Guan Yin are known as Tie Guan Yin Wang or Tie Guan Yin King, though today you will find many mediocre teas with this title.
Xianghua, Anxi, Fujian 福建省安溪县祥华乡
Xianghua township is part of Anxi county. Located to the North-West of Anxi town. Now with the improved roads in the region it is possible to drive from Anxi to Xianghua in around 1.5-2 hours.
Set high in the mountains of the region, Xianghua region averages an altitude around 850m with the highest peaks around 1588m.
One of the three main Tieguanyin producing areas, alongside Gande 感德镇 and Xiping 西平镇, Xianghua includes twenty villages and many more small hamlets, many engaged in tea growing and production.
Brewing Tie Guan Yin in a Gai Wan
Vessel Capacity: 150 - 200ml
Tea Quantity: 8g (loose leaf)
Water Temperature: 95 - 98c
People / Servings: 4
Medthod: Rinse the tea with a little hot water and then discard it. Next refill the tea pot and follow the infusion times below. For a 120ml Gaiwan you can either keep back 1-2g or add all the leaf. If you add all the leaf, you may want to revise the brewing times slightly (downward) to allow for the fuller flavour. Please note using a Zisha teapot times should be revised downward to allow for time for the liquor to pour from the tea pot.
Infusion Times (in seconds):
1st = 30.
2nd = 30.
3rd = 40.
4th = 50.
5th = 70.
6th = 90.
7th = 120.
Please visit our online tea brewing guide, which includes different methods and infusion times for all tea types.