The Tieguanyin Project, Spring 2022 | Oolong Tea
TeaSource Exclusive! Very limited quantity available. 4 oz. quantity only.
The comfort of heavy roast! The baked aromatics are pleasant, but intense. The cup is smooth, thick, and toasty – but deep within lies that subtle Tieguanyin fruit character. It’s one of a kind.
The mao cha for this tea was produced on May 4th, 2022 by Daniel Hong. The final roasting was done on June 25, 2022. As per the name, it’s made from the Tieguanyin cultivar. Hand-picked 1 bud and 3-4 leaves growing at approximately 1,800 feet. The material was harvested in Dehua County of Fujian Province, about an hour north of Tieguanyin’s hometown of Anxi County.
Read the full story on the blog!
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 with the next round scheduled for fall 2022.
Ingredients: oolong tea
Western Steeping Instructions:
4 grams | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 4 min.
Traditional Steeping Instructions:
- 6 grams – 150ml – Boiling Water
- 10 second rinse (discard this liquor)
- 1st Steep – 30 seconds
- 2nd Steep – 20 seconds
- 3rd Steep – 50 seconds
- 4th Steep – 2 minutes
- 5th Steep – 4 minutes
- 6th Steep – 8 minutes
Number of Cups
4 oz makes 38 cups