Tea Tip from In Pursuit of Tea:

Oolong ('black dragon') teas have long been considered the most complex, and the most prized tea in China and Taiwan. And among all oolongs, Tieguanyin is by far the most famous. A recent gold medal winner at a Tieguanyin oolong competition in Fujian sold for RMB 120,000/100 grams, that's an astonishing US$43,000.00 per pound! (Unfortunately, we were outbid by about $42,900...)

Technically, whenever we say Tieguanyin, we are actually referring to a specific style of tea. Many so called Tieguanyin-style teas are widely available, but few would debate that true Tieguanyin comes from the Anxi region in Fujian province, China, where the specific leaf varietal was brought from the Wu-yi region about 400 years ago.

The specific varietal of Camellia sinensis is called Hong-Xing-Wi-Ma-Tau, literally translated as red-heart-crooked-horse-peach, a local fruit. There is a resemblance between the tip of the tea leaf and the tip of the peach, hence the name...

Tieguanyin is a semi-oxidized oolong. It's ideal oxidation level is approximately 30% to 40%. The basic steps to making Tieguanyin are relatively simple and straight forward: sha-ching (drying), tsu-rou (initial rolling/kneading), tsu-pei (initial firing), tsai-rou (repeat rolling/kneading), tsai-pei (repeat firing) and ding-shing (shaping). But it's in the individual steps and especially during the 5-8 repeat kneading and firings that the farmer exercises their traditional skill. They must carefully monitor leaf temperature, humidity and leaf shape.

When evaulating a Tieguanyin, we look for certain characteristics:

• Infused Leaf: The dark green of a toad (wa-ching)... not just any green, a toad's green!
• Liqueur: The rich shine of a golden nugget.
• Number of Steeps Possible: Seven steeps (chi-pao), with the second, and third being the best.
• Taste: Sweet and smooth with notes of autumn fruit and an ever-so-slight "sour" aftertaste.
• Aroma: Rich and deep. Absolutely cannot smell "burnt".
• Cup: scent of freshly cut sugarcane, intensifying as it cools to cotton candy.

We carry two Tieguanyins - our Competition Monkey Picked and our Crooked Horse Oolong. The Competition teas are purchased at the Fuzhou City oolong competitions and are generally a light fired less oxidized (aprox. 30%) tea. The taste is sweet with a lingering autumn fruit finish. Our Crooked Horse is a high fired, and more oxidized tea. The leaves are a darker brown and the initial taste is that of the firing process and then the taste changes to a sweet peach which also lingers in the finish. Both these teas are perfect for re-steeping many times. Try our sampler of both these teas to enjoy two great Tieguanyins at a significant savings! But act quickly as the sampler will only be on the site for one week.

Past Tea Tips:
Jasmine Pearls
Darjeeling
Freshness Storage, and Packaging
Sound of Tea
Ceylon
Tieguanyin Oolong Tea
Why Pair Tea with Food?
Tea Classification
White Teas
Display Teas
For more information on drinks and beverages, read Charmaine Solomon's article on well-known drinks you may encounter in Asian travels or upon inspection of the refrigerator section of your local Asian grocer.