Tea leaves for this Iron Goddess come from Wu Hua Shan tea garden, located in Xianghua village in Anxi, surrounding villages like Changkeng in the east and Longjuan in the south are famous as being the origins of Tie Guan Yin. The plants in this area are grown above 900 meters in elevation. The area is covered with mist almost constantly and it is very rich in rainfalls. These and other factors result in a perfect environment for growing oolong tea, and Tie Guan Yin in particular. More
Tie Guan Yin 铁观音 (also known as Ti Kuan Yin, Iron Buddha and Iron Godness of Mercy) is one of the most popular oolong tea in China as well as in many parts of the world. It is produced in Anxi County of Fujian Province. Qingxiang 清香 means "light aroma" and this type of Iron Goddess started to be popular in 1980s. It is less fermented and less roasted than Nong Xiang Tie Guan Yin 浓香铁观音 (heavy aroma type) so its character is closer to green tea. The flavor of Qingxiang type is very fragrant and refreshing, the taste is moderate mellow. The tea liquor is of jade green color. You can notice that used tea leaves also look green with not many red edges than the Nongxiang type.
Traditionally, Tie Guan Yin or Iron Goddess (sometimes even Iron Buddha) is a type of semi-oxidized oolong tea. Compared to other Chinese teas, Tie Guan Yin has the most complicated crafting process, among which the tossing step (yao qīng 搖青) is considered the most critical. This is the key stage to form the Guan Yin Yun (观音韵: guān yīn yùn) and give it its character. Our Tie Guan Yin carries very strong fragrance, while the tea itself is mellow and soft. We highly recommend it to those who drink tea for health benefits. Our organic Tie Guan Yin is characterized by its heavy tossing procedure (搖青; pinyin: yáo qīng) and moderate-temperature pan-firing (炒青; pinyin: chǎo qīng). These unique steps make the leaves more likely to form red edges while the center of the leaf remains green, while the specific wrapping procedure twists this tea into its characteristic shape.
Tea leaves for this Iron Goddess come from Wu Hua Shan tea garden, located in Xianghua 祥华 village in Anxi, surrounding villages like Changkeng in the east and Longjuan in the south are famous as being the origins of Tie Guan Yin. The plants in this area are grown above 900 meters in elevation. The area is covered with mist almost constantly and it is very rich in rainfalls. These and other factors result in a perfect environment for growing oolong tea, and Tie Guan Yin in particular.
