Tie Guan Yin

Tie Guan Yin is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea  associated with Anxi in Fujian province. Named after the bodhisattva  Avalokitesvara (known in Chinese as Guan Yin), it has also been translated as “Iron Goddess of Mercy” (more correctly, “Compassion”) after the old translation for Guan Yin’s name. Tie Guan Yin produced in different areas of Anxi have different characteristics.The tea is also produced in Nantou, Taiwan with much success.

This oolong is typically close to a green tea, with only a little oxidation. Consequently, it has a very flowery, delicate aroma without the green tea “grassiness” or astringency.

Other spellings and names include Ti Kuan Yin, Tit Kwun Yum, Ti Kwan Yin, Tie Guan Yin, Iron Buddha, Iron Goddess of Mercy, Iron Avalokiteśvara, and Tea of the Iron Bodhisattva, which is probably the closest English translation.

This is probably the most famous of all Chinese Oolong teas. The name Tie Guan Yin means “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and the tea is as magnificent as its name implies. There are many legends surrounding the origin of its name and one of it tells the story of a kind-hearted but poor farmer named Wei Yin. Despite working hard every day to make a living, Wei Yin would spend his free time tending an abandoned Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) temple he found near his place. One day, he fell asleep in the temple and dreamed about the Goddess telling him to look for a cave behind the temple. There, he found a single tea shoot where he took home and planted it in an iron pot. Slowly, it grew into a tea bush with exceptional quality tea leaves. Wei then gave cuttings to his neighbors and friends to grow. The County soon prospered due to the popularity of the tea. Tie Guan Yin can now be found in the menu of most Chinese restaurants throughout the world.

Other names:
Ti Kwan Yin, Anxi Tie Guan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy

Taste:
This tea has a very sweet, appetizing honey-life fragrance, taste and finishing. The sweet aftertaste will linger on in your mouth after a few sips. Good for multiple infusions.

Appearance:
Curled jade green leaves. The infusion is yellowish in color.

Origin:
An Xi, Fujian Province

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