The elixir of timeless wisdom. The elusive density of the body feels full without being heavy. A cup of overripe peaches, oak forest, and the aromatic mysteries of dogwood flowers conjure images of magic from ages lost.

This is the 2023 Autumnal lot of our exclusive and ongoing Tieguanyin Project with Daniel Hong. He produced it on October 23, 2023 and shaped into 5-gram squares on November 13, 2023. It comes from Tieguanyin plants growing at approximately 1,100 feet in Pingyuan County of Guangdong Province – a highly unusual place to grow and produce Tieguanyin oolong, which is native to Anxi County of Fujian Province. The material came from an abandoned organic tea field that hadn’t produced anything for 12 years. To prepare the fields for production, the bushes were pruned and the tall grasses were cut, hoping this would re-awaken the plants. The yield was low, so the plants are still sluggish, but the results are outstanding.  

 2oz is approximately 11 pieces, 4oz is approximately 22 pieces

What is Tieguanyin?

The exact translation for Tieguanyin is “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and the loose pronunciation is “tee-uh-gwon-yin.” By definition, these teas are made from the Tieguanyin cultivar. Anxi County is its home. It gets its name from Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, an important figure in both Chinese Buddhism and folk religion. The farmer and scholar Wang Si Nang gets credit for identifying and propagating this cultivar, which is famously difficult to work with, but possesses great potential. It’s been said that if you can successfully make Tieguanyin, you can make anything.

What is the The Tieguanyin Project?

Daniel Hong is not satisfied with the Tieguanyin teas he’s been finding lately and decided to create one himself. He’s looking to capture what he refers to as “Guanyin Charm” - which can be loosely described as having a fruit/flower aroma with heavy body – almost like you could eat it. This is a continuous experiment that started in spring 2021.

Ingredients: oolong tea

Western Steeping Instructions:

1 square | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 90 seconds