Tie Guan Yin - Iron Goddess Of Mercy - Oolong Tea

A legendary tea. It traces its roots to Anxi County, Fujian province, China and is named after the Goddess of Mercy, which is said to have gifted this tea to a poor farmer for tirelessly maintaining one of her crumbling temples. As a reward, she bestowed the farmer with a vision showing the way to a remote cave, at the end of which he would find a tea sapling. He was then told to grow and nurture this sapling into tea bushes and share their prosperity with all his neighbours as a sign of mercy and compassion. The iron part in the name comes from its bold flavours and robust colour. Modern-day Chinese versions of this tea tend to be processed quite green. However, our Taiwanese version stays true to its traditional form, heavily oxidised and roasted, bringing out warming wood and spice notes. A time-consuming and laborious tea to produce that involves numerous stages of tossing, rolling and roasting, at times taking up to 60 hours. This tea takes well to high temperatures and offers an impressive number of infusions. Its strong character makes it a great one to try for coffee lovers as well. Otherwise known as Ti Kuan Yin, Iron Buddha or TGY.

Overview

Origin
● Harvest: 1st week May 2021
● Location: Muzha, Taipei City, Taiwan
● Altitude: 300-500m
● Cultivar: Hong Xin Wai Wei Tao

Processing
● Method: hand-picked
● Pluck: bud plus 2-3 leaves
● Oxidation: 50-60%
● Roast: heavy

Tasting notes

Appearance
● Dry leaf: very tightly rolled curls of varying size, cocoa bean brown colour
● Wet leaf: unfurls minimally, bruised edges
● Liquor: mahogany colour, orange-brown hue

Aroma
● Dry leaf: chocolate, cedarwood, pepper, date
● Wet leaf: tobacco, hops, apricot jam
● Empty cup: bark, wet stone

Flavour
● Taste: malt, squash
● Aftertaste: roasted chestnut, peat
● Mouthfeel: thick, velvety, low astringency

Brewing tips

The following tips are for your guidance.
Please feel free to adjust to taste.

Gongfu style
● 5-6g per 100ml at 95°C (205°F)
● 5-10 secs to rinse
● 20-30 secs for 1st steep
● add 10-15 secs for each re-steep
● 6-9 steeps total

Western style
● 1.2-1.5g per 100ml at 95-100°C (205-212°F)
● 2-3 mins for 1st steep
● add 30-60 secs for each re-steep
● 2-3 steeps total