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Tieguanyin Oolong Tea
NT$700 - NT$1,350
Flavor: Hearty, roasted aroma. Rich, tangy, toasted grains flavor. Smoky, warming finish.
Garden: This tea comes from Muzha in Taipei. The tea growing area in Muzha is called Maokong, and has a long history of tea production. This tea was produced by mixing two different kinds of tea leaves. The Jin Xuan tea leaves were sourced from the producer of our Wenshan Baozhong Tea in Pinglin, in the mountains north of Taipei. The Tieguanyin tea leaves were harvested from this farmer's land in Muzha - in the foothills just outside of Taipei. Both of these place names have a long history of tea ......
Garden: This tea comes from Muzha in Taipei. The tea growing area in Muzha is called Maokong, and has a long history of tea production. This tea was produced by mixing two different kinds of tea leaves. The Jin Xuan tea leaves were sourced from the producer of our Wenshan Baozhong Tea in Pinglin, in the mountains north of Taipei. The Tieguanyin tea leaves were harvested from this farmer's land in Muzha - in the foothills just outside of Taipei. Both of these place names have a long history of tea ......
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production. These, along with Sanxia district in the greater Taipei area have been producing tea since the 1800's.
This farmer manages his own very small plots of Tieguanyin tea plants and processes the leaves in his tiny home factory. This tea is approximately half Tieguanyin tea leaves blended with a batch of Jin Xuan tea leaves that he processed in the traditional Tieguanyin fashion. It is now common practice to make Tieguanyin Oolong with Jin Xuan tea leaves. The majority of entries in the Muzha Farmers' Association Tieguanyin Oolong Tea Competition are made with leaves harvested from Jin Xuan tea plants and processed as Tieguanyin Oolong. Eco-Cha’s source has found that blending these two tea strains offers the original Tieguanyin Oolong character while maximizing his yield.
Harvest: Hand picked.
Region: Muzha/Pinglin, Taiwan
Elevation: 300m/500m
Tasting Notes
One step in particular sets Tieguanyin apart from the processing methods of other Oolong types. After the "kill green" or "cease oxidation" step —where the leaves are exposed to high heat, they are partially rolled and dried, and then put in the roasting oven
while still in the cloth wrapped balls
shown above, and slightly "steamed in their own juices"
.
This results in a subtle, tangy fermented character that makes Tieguanyin unique. This anomaly of tea processing methods in Taiwan, combined with heavy oxidation and heavy roasting give Tieguanyin Oolong is bold, rich and distinguished character.
Origin
Traditional methods of tea making typically involve much more "curing" of the tea leaves — which has the dual purpose of bringing out a distinct character, and stabilizing the tea leaves to maintain flavor. In other words, traditional teas have a prolonged shelf life as well as a distinguished profile. In this sense, Tieguanyin Oolong is a prime example of a traditional product of regional origin. This tea tree strain was initially brought from mainland China, and took root in Northern Taiwan in the 1800's. It's traditional processing methods have continued to evolve to this day.