Ti Kuan Yin - The Iron Goddess of Mercy Is one of the most highly regarded of the Oolong family of Chinese teas, indeed it is the founder of this particular dynasty, which is sometimes classified a...
Ti Kuan Yin - The Iron Goddess of Mercy Is one of the most highly regarded of the Oolong family of Chinese teas, indeed it is the founder of this particular dynasty, which is sometimes classified as semi-fermented or Red Tea.
Born of Legend
Sometimes it is perhaps more correctly translated as TieGuan Yin, after the goddess Guanyin. It was she who first guided a local farmer to plant a particular cutting that would result in yielding a spectacularly flavoursome tea. The rest, as they say is history, or at least a legend based in fact.
Top Ten of Teas
Whichever way you wish to refer to it, it is one of the top 10 Famous Teas in China. This is like the Premier League of China Teas. Like any league it has its relegations and promotions but Ti Kuan Yin, (just like those other famous reds Liverpool and Man United!) is nearly always a constant member of the top four. Other members of this top 10 that you might recognise from Atkinsons lists are: Lung Ching (Dragon Well), Yin Zhen (Silver Needles), Keemun, Pu-Erh and Jasmine.
Style of Tea
Ti Kuan Yin comes in two styles. Firstly the floral jade style, which we offer and then the more baked or toasted style which is similar to the neighbouring Taiwanese methods and traditions practised off the coast of Anxi county, on the island of Taiwan.
Brewing
The crinkly, twisted leaves are a reddish-brown/dark green. They require very careful brewing to really hit the ‘sweet spot’. Water no higher than 82 C – a minute or so off the boil and take care not too over-infuse, no more than 2 mins depending on the dose. The tea can be re-infused many times, indeed the second infusion is possibly a richer experience than the first. So don't rush. Calm down and enjoy a soothing oolong.