Shade Grown Tie Guan Yin - Anxi Oolong Tea - Fall 2011

Harvest: Fall, 2011
Varietal: Tie Guan Yin
Growing Region: Gandezhen, Anxi County, Fujian

Overview:
Our Shade Grown Tie Guan Yin is a green style Anxi Tie Guan Yin that was harvested and processed* in the Fall season of 2011, but the way it was grown makes the mouthfeel and particularly the aftertaste quite different from traditionally grown Tie Guan Yin. Our Shade Grown Tie Guan Yin was grown very much like Japan's Kabusecha (a partially shade-grown green tea). It was grown in full sun like a regular Tie Guan Yin until 2-3 weeks before harvest. At that point, a cover/net was rolled out directly on top of the tea plants to block about half of the sunlight. The reduced exposure to sunlight increases amino acid & chlorophyll levels in the leaves, resulting in a finished product with a fuller mouthfeel and an exceptionally rich, penetrating and mouth-coating bittersweet aftertaste.

Flavor and Aroma:
This tea's leaves are tightly rolled with a color that ranges from deep, forest green to more of an emerald shade. The aroma of the dry leaves is very much like a traditional Tie Guan Yin in that it is fresh and clean with a vegetal sweetness and hints of flowers. The liquor is a very clear yellowish green with a lovely floral aroma reminiscent of lilac and orchids. Fall harvest of Anxi Tie Guan Yin is known to have a more intense floral aroma and flavor than the Spring harvest, and this shade grown batch is no different.

In my experience, when steeped gong fu style, the first infusion of this tea tends to present itself very much like a more typical green style Tie Guan Yin with a slightly thicker mouthfeel. After the leaves begin to open up more in subsequent infusions, however, is when this tea starts to give up the rich, full aftertaste and almost tingly sensation (in my mouth, at least) that comes from growing under shade.

Steeping Guideline:
In my opinion, this tea is best steeped Gong Fu style, and I have settled on about 8 grams in a 150ml gaiwan or Yixing teapot using water just under a boil. It is well suited to western style steeping, but I would encourage shorter steeping times than for a standard green style oolong, just to prevent the possibility of bitterness. Of course, tastes will vary, so please experiment with times, temperatures, and amount of leaf used until you find your preference.

For general steeping guidelines for the different categories of Chinese tea and a short downloadable "how to" video on Gong Fu style tea preparation, please visit our Chinese Tea Steeping Guide page.

*For excellent photographs and explanation of the harvesting and processing of Anxi Tie Guan Yin, I highly recommend getting a copy of Jason C.S. Chen's book, A Tea Lover's Travel Diary (Link to Amazon.com Book Page)
Note: We have no connection to Jason Chen, and this is not a paid or otherwise compensated endorsement. We just like the book a lot.

The story behind the name "Tie Guan Yin:"

Tie Guan Yin or 'Iron Goddess of Mercy' is named after the Bodhisatva Avalokiteshvara, who in the Chinese context is known as the Goddess of Compassion or Mercy. The name of this tea is associated with a legend: In Anxi County of modern Fujian province there was a rundown temple that housed an iron statue of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Every day on the walk to his tea fields, a poor farmer would pass by and reflect on the worsening condition of the temple. He did not have the resources to repair the temple, so instead the farmer brought a broom and some incense from his home. He swept the temple clean and lit the incense as an offering to the deity. Over the months and years to come, the farmer would periodically return to take care of the temple and make offerings. One night, Guan Yin appeared to him in a dream. She told him of a cave behind the temple where a treasure awaited him. He was to take the treasure for himself on the condition that he shared it with other people in his impoverished village. In the cave, the farmer found a single tea plant. He planted it in his field and nurtured it into a large bush, from which the finest tea was produced. He gave cuttings of this rare plant to all his neighbors and began selling the tea under the name Tie Guan Yin, Iron Bodhisattva of Mercy. (Story paraphrased from the Wei version of the legend as presented at en.wikipedia.org)

Weight: 0.0242 lb
10.98 grams
0.39 ounces