Anxi Tieguanyin Oolong

Anxi Tieguanyin Oolong (安溪铁观音) is a well-known oolong tea from Anxi County in Fujian Province, China. It is highly regarded for its unique taste and aroma, making it a staple in traditional Chinese tea culture.

The tea is known for its signature light floral fragrance combined with a smooth, rich flavor. Its aroma includes hints of rose, gardenia, and cream. Its flavor profile is layered, offering a velvety thickness that coats your tongue with hints of fresh vegetables, honeysuckle, and a subtle melon-like aftertaste that lingers gently. Each sip glides down effortlessly, free of any dryness or bitterness. Despite its vibrant floral and sweet notes, the tea is perfectly balanced by its refreshing vegetal character, making it feel like stepping into a serene botanical garden or a greenhouse in full bloom. If you like jasmine tea or milk oolong, this tea is for you!

The tea leaves are rolled into tight, greenish spheres with a slight sheen. Once brewed, the tea transforms into a bright, golden-yellow infusion that’s both smooth and refreshing.

One of the joys of this high quality Tieguanyin is its ability to be steeped up to 10-12 times, revealing new layers of flavor with each infusion. This transforming ability makes this a tea that’s meant to be savored over time. 

Brewing Instructions:

This Tieguanyin comes in convenient, single packages that are roughly 8 grams, perfect for gongfu-style brewing.

• Use one 8-gram package with a 90ml gaiwan and 204°F (95°C) water.

• Rinse the leaves, then steep for 20 seconds on the first infusion. For later infusions, steep for about 5 seconds. Since it uses more tea leaves and a higher temperature, infusions can be quicker compared to other similar teas. 

• The tea holds up to multiple infusions without turning bitter, even with boiling water or if oversteeped. However, oversteeping may result in a slightly drier texture than if brewed corretly.

The Tieguanyin cultivar is a specific variety of the Camellia sinensis tea plant, known for its robust branches and elegantly wavy, elliptical leaves. Anxi County’s natural environment plays a key role in shaping its character. With its mountainous terrain, abundant rainfall, moderate climate with frequent clouds and mist, and slightly acidic red soil, the region creates the perfect conditions for cultivating high-quality tea, to a point that Tieguanyin has become a cultural symbol of Anxi’s tea heritage, reflecting the region’s dedication to quality and tradition.

This Anxi Tieguanyin Oolong offers a straightforward yet rewarding tea experience, ideal for those who appreciate quality and versatility, without having to worry too much about timing the exact brewing time or tempering the water to the perfect lower temperature (which you usually have to do for teas with smaller tea leaves like this one). This Anxi Tieguanyin beautifully combines the floral notes of jasmine with the creamy texture of milk oolong, offering a one-of-a-kind experience that only this tea can deliver. So if you enjoy jasmine tea or milk oolong, consider adding this oolong to your premium tea collection. 

Alternate Name: Iron Goddess Oolong

Origin: Anxi County, Fujian Province, China

Notes: Gardenia, Sweet Cream, Fresh Vegetables,