Tieguanyin
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| Type: | Oolong |
| Other names: | Iron Guanyin, Ti Kuan Yin or Tiet Kwun Yum |
| Origin: | Anxi County, Fujian Province, China and others |
| Quick description: | The harvests in spring (also known as Jade) and autumn are most prized for the
fruity, sometimes even berry taste and aroma |
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Tieguanyin (Simplified Chinese: 铁观音; Traditional Chinese: 鐵觀音; pinyin: tiěguānyīn; Min Nan POJ: Thih-koan-im; Cantonese Jyutping: tit8 gwun1 yam1; literally meaning iron guanyin) is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea associated with Anxi in the Fujian province. Named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin, it has also been translated as "Iron Goddess of Mercy". Recently the tea has been grown in Nantou, Taiwan where it thrives.
Other names include Ti Kuan Yin, Tit Kwun Yum, Ti Kwan Yin, Tie Guan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy, and Tea of the Iron Bodhisattva.
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[edit] Tasting and brewing
The tea should be brewed with fresh mineral water at 100°c (212°F) using smaller intervals of time when steeping rather than smaller amounts of tea. Tieguanyin tea produces a fragrant orchid-like aroma when steeped, the tea may be very floral or very fruity also.
In modern times, the leaf of the tieguanyin tea is rolled into small tubes and then dried for consumption. In effect, this allows for the tea leaves to be brewed more times. As the leaf unfurls, differing aromatics and tastes are released with each brewing.
[edit] History
The legend behind this tea has many variations but the following is the most common account.
Deep in the heart of Fujian's Anxi County there was a rundown temple that held inside an iron statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Every day, on his walk to his tea fields, a poor farmer would pass by and reflect on the worsening condition of the temple.
Something has to be done, thought Mr. Wei. But he did not have the means to repair the temple, poor as he was.
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 Kuan Yin. "It's the least I can do," he thought to himself.
Twice a month for many months, he repeated the same task. Cleaning and lighting incense. One night, Kuan 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, but also to share it with others.
In the cave, the farmer found a single tea shoot. He planted it in his field and nurtured it into a large bush, of 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 Ti Kuan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy.
Over time, Mr. Wei and all his neighbors prospered. The rundown temple of Kuan Yin was repaired and became a beacon for the region. And Mr. Wei took joy in his daily trip to his tea fields, never failing to stop in appreciation of the beautiful temple.
[edit] Varieties
- Jade Tieguanyin is harvested between 5th and the 10th May and has a light green Jade color. It produces a very flowery aroma and taste.
- Autumn Tieguanyin is harvested in the autumn and sought after by Tieguanyin lovers.
