Tieguanyin tea is an extraordinary Wulong (oolong) tea full of history and tradition, in this blogpost we will discover the legends, harvest, uses and properties of tieguanyin tea.
Name
Chinese: Tiěguānyīnchá 铁观音茶 / Hóngxīnguānyn红心观音 / Hóngyàngguānyīn红样观音
(Tiě铁 = iron; guānyīn 观音 = Guanyin is a bodhisattva, also known as the “Goddess of Mercy,” from East Asia, associated with compassion and worshipped by Mahayana Buddhists).
English: Iron Goddess of Mercy Tea/ Red-heart Goddess of Mercy / Red appearance Goddess of Mercy
Origin And History Of Tieguanyin Tea
The cultivation of this tea originated in Anxi County (Fujian, China) toward the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) and developed during the 5 Dynasties period (907- 960 A.D.). Tea produced in this area began to be so successful that it began to be chosen as a gift item.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) both temples and peasants had at least one tea crop. It was the peasants of the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644 A.D.) who discovered the vegetative reproduction of tea plants, before this discovery tea trees were subject to generative propagation given by sowing, which could, however, lead to an easy change of tea variety. It would then be between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 AD) that Anxi peasants would discover Tieguanyin tea thus making Anxi County the place of origin of this tea.
Legends
The most famous legend tells of a farmer named Wei who every day on his way to his tea plantations always stopped to set up a temple in Anxi County and pray. Inside this temple was an iron statue representing the goddess Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) who one night appeared to the farmer in a dream and confided in him the hiding place of a precious treasure. The farmer went to the indicated place and found a tea sprout, he took it and planted it in his field. Once the sprout had now become a large bush, the farmer shared it with his neighbors and began to sell it under the name Tie Guanyin.
Harvest Of Tieguanyin Tea
Tieguanyin tea from Anxi County (Fujian, China) is a wulong tea made from the leaves from plantations in this area. The major production areas for Tieguanyin tea are Fujian and Taiwan. The Anxi area is covered with fresh water springs that flow year-round. The high mountains are covered with fog and clouds, and the humid climate and recurring rainfall make the area the perfect area for growing this tea.
Leaf topping can occur four or five times a year and will result in:
The spring tea;
The summer tea;
The mid-summer tea;
The autumn tea;
The winter tea.
Of these, the spring crop is the most valuable, but the quality always depends on weather conditions: if picked on sunny days it is better.
How Do You Make Tieguanyin Tea?
Western method
Leaves: 3gr
Water: 150 ml
Temperature: 85-95°C
Infusion: about 3-5 min
Chinese method
Leaves: about 4gr
Water: capacity of a Gaiwan or Yixing teapot
Temperature: 85-95°C
Infusion: about 30-40 sec each infusion and add about 15 sec to each further infusion
For a perfect cup of Tieguanyin tea:
1. Washing the leaves-put 3 g of leaves in a yixing teapot, pour in about 50 ml of water at 85°C, shake the leaves for a few seconds and discard the water while keeping the leaves in the teapot. In this way you will have cleaned the leaves of any impurities.
2. Prepare the tea-pour 150 ml of water at about 85-95°C over the cleaned leaves, let it steep for about 40-50 sec or so, and the first cup of tea is ready to be enjoyed.
What Does Tieguanyin Tea Taste Like?
Dried leaves: the leaves are rolled to form balls.
Liquor: the liquor is golden like amber and exudes a natural orchid fragrance. The taste is velvety, sweet and fresh. The leaves can retain a strong aroma for up to 7 infusions.
Trivia
Tieguanyin tea goes well with Yíxīng purple clay teapots. The special feature of purple clay utensils is that on the one hand they absorb the tea and retain its fragrance, and on the other hand, having a relatively low thermal conductivity index, they heat slowly while maintaining the infusion temperature and avoiding scalding the hands.
In addition, in case of a sudden hot-cold temperature change these ceramics do not crack.
So it can be said that a purple clay teapot will enable the successful brewing of hot and fragrant tea, and if you always use the same tea with the same Yixing teapot, after several years the pottery of the latter will be so impregnated with that tea that you only need to add hot water to bring out its aroma.