2009 Fall Tie Guan Yin - Diamond Grade - Anxi Oolong Tea

This is our "Diamond Grade" Fall Harvest 2009 Tie Guan Yin from Anxi county in Fujian province.  In my opinion, the intensity of the floral aroma is remarkably intense in Fall harvest Anxi oolong, and this holds true with this year's harvest for sure. 

The concept of different grades of this type of tea is largely Western, but, in general, the grade of this style of oolong is determined by the intensity of the floral aromas in the tea.  The more intense the aroma, the higher the grade.  This tea is what the producer refers to as an AAA grade Tie Guan Yin when dealing with me, which I have named "Diamond Grade" to go with the Norbu/Jewel theme of Norbutea.com...Norbu means "precious jewel" in Tibetan language.   

Upon opening the package, the intense floral aroma of this tea is almost overwhelming.  The dry leaves are dark green and are tightly rolled into the characteristic ball shape of Anxi Oolongs.  When steeped, the leaves are an amazing deep green color...almost the color of fresh Swiss Chard or very lightly steamed spinach.  The fragrance is intensely floral. To me it is like fresh cut orchids, but one friend and colleague of mine swears that it is just like Lilacs.  Either way, it smells fantastic!  The liquor has a moderately thick and satisfying feeling in the mouth, and the flavor has strong floral notes present in the nose especially in the first infusions.  The thing that always amazes me about high grade Tie Guan Yin is the lingering bittersweet aftertaste that it leaves in the mouth, and this particular batch carries a lovely & lingering aftertaste.  It is truly a treat to savor on special occasions.

While steeping this tea in the Western manner would be just fine, it is our opinion that enjoying this tea Gong Fu style is the best way to experience its many layers of flavor.  See our Steeping Guide section for a general description of the Gong Fu (with skill) method.

This Tie Guan Yin is of the newer Green style and is not roasted beyond the time required to drive out the moisture in the leaves after processing. In order to better preserve the fleeting freshness of this spectacular tea, we had this shipment individually packaged and vacuum sealed at the producer's facility into 25 gram portions. 

All orders will consist of individual 25 gram portions in one of our resealable stand up pouches. 

For optimum freshness, please be sure to store unused tea leaves in the resealable pouch and consume within 30 days after opening.

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)