This is the spring 2023 installment of our ongoing Tieguanyin Project. The charcoal roast conjures up a satisfying plenitude of sweetness - like the flesh of barely ripe mangos. With no mineral or astringent quality to jar the senses, it’s an easy tea to sit back and indulge.

 

The leaves for this tea were harvested May 2, 2023 in Dehua County, Fujian Province from plants grown by Mr. Li Shaolin. The tea was manufactured by Daniel Hong on May 2-3, 2023. It was finished with a charcoal roast by Mr. Wang Wei Feng on September 10, 2023. It’s a one bud, three leaf pick of the Tieguanyin cultivar growing at approximately 2,200 feet. Mr. Li’s garden in Dehua County is managed using organic practices.

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:

4 grams | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 4 min. 

Number of Cups