Tie Guan Yin铁观音

Tie Guan Yin is a oolong from Anxi, Fujian. Brew it at 95°C with 6g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Two teas share one name, and this is where most Western drinkers get confused. Modern qing xiang Tie Guan Yin is jade-green pellets, cold-room withered, barely oxidized — orchid, butter, green-bean finish, meant to be drunk fresh and looks almost like a Taiwanese gao shan in the gaiwan. Traditional chuantong is the older style: twisted strips, deeper oxidation, double charcoal roast, aged for years, with layered toast and caramel and real huigan depth. Same cultivar, same Anxi soil, very different sessions. Brew them differently. Modern green TGY wants 90–95°C — any hotter and the florals go flat — plus a rinse to crack the tight pearls open. Traditional roasted TGY takes full boiling water and usually benefits from a second rinse. The Chaozhou trick with the modern style is worth trying: crush about 15% of your dry leaves and mix them back with the whole ones. It thickens the body and extends the finish without killing the aromatics.

Flavor profile

The most famous Chinese oolong, made in two distinct styles. Modern qing xiang (green fragrance) is lightly oxidized with cold-room withering, yielding bright floral and buttery notes. Traditional chuantong is more heavily oxidized, kneaded into twisted strips rather than pearls, and double-roasted over charcoal for deeper, layered complexity with greater sweetness. Traditional rewards aging; modern is best fresh.

Terroir

Anxi highland gardens, red clay laterite soil, misty mountain climate

Cultivar: Tie Guan Yin

Brewing

Rinse: Rinse to start unrolling the tight ball-rolled leaves.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 15 seconds
3. Steep 2: 10 seconds
4. Steep 3: 10 seconds
5. Steep 4: 12 seconds
6. Steep 5: 15 seconds
7. Steep 6: 20 seconds
8. Steep 7: 25 seconds
9. Steep 8: 30 seconds
10. Steep 9: 40 seconds

Traditional roasted TGY takes full boiling water (100C). Modern green-style TGY is better at 90-95C to preserve the delicate floral aromatics. The Chaozhou method — crushing 15% of dry leaves and mixing with whole — adds body and aftertaste while keeping aromatics.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• semi-oxidized
• ball-rolled
• roasted (traditional) or unroasted (modern green)

Sources

• https://verdanttea.com/buyers-guide-to-tieguanyin-and-anxi-oolong
• https://sevencups.com/shop/chuan-tong-tie-guan-yin-traditional-tie-guan-yin/
• https://meileaf.com/tea/superior-iron-goddess/
• https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/anxi-oolong-tea-tie-guan-yin