Te Guan Yin - tea legend, the king of Chinese oolong

Te Guan Yin is a tea legend, the king among Chinese oolongs. This tea can be called a visiting card of China.

Initially, this wonderful tea was grown only in Fujian province, Anxi county. They started to grow tea in the VII-IX centuries, during the rule of the Tang dynasty. Today, Te Guang Yin, grown in many provinces of China and Taiwan, enters the tea market. But the quality standard is still considered to be Tie Guan Yin, gathered on fertile South Fudjanian plantations.

Why did this tea deserve such popularity among tea gourmets of the whole world?

First of all, it is a fragrance. Delightful aroma of blooming lilacs, irises - a bright bouquet of spring flowers! Having inhaled it once, you will not confuse this tea with anything. Only the fragrance can turn the head, what to speak about tea conditions that good Te Guan Yin can give!

Those Guang Yin are poorly fermented oolongs, but some varieties can be kept or roasted. Matured Tie Guan Yin has a brown-red leaf and nut fruit notes in flavor and taste. But more love and known all the same green Te Guang Yin. Collect this turquoise tea four times a year. Many consider the autumn harvest to be brighter than the spring, but here it’s a matter of taste. The spring harvest is most appreciated - tea has a pronounced floral aroma and a dense, even oily taste. The raw materials for Te Guang Yin are the leaves collected from young (up to 5 years) shrubs.

Production technology

This tea is collected and processed by hand. After harvesting, the leaves are heated in the sun, kneaded, shaken, again kneaded, until the tea reaches the desired fermentation, depending on the variety. After the tea is heated in ovens and rolled in special equipment. In the twisting process, juice is released, which makes the finished tea more saturated. When the tea is completely deprived of excessive moisture, it is again placed in the oven and twisted.

And the final stage - tea is cleared from cuttings. Manually. Just imagine - separate each leaf from the cuttings! The laborious manufacturing process is one of the reasons for the considerable cost. However, sometimes Tie Guan Yin is sold with cuttings - this reduces the cost and extends the shelf life. But the taste and aroma of such tea is much inferior to the famous Tie Guan Yin, produced in compliance with all the rules.

How to store Te Guang Yin

If you are lucky and you have purchased Te Guang Yin in a vacuum package - unopened packaging can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 year, tea almost does not lose its properties. But we are not buying tea to look at closed packaging, is it? ;-)

It is best to place the tea in a special jar for storage, they have tightly lapped lids and limit the access of air and odors as much as possible. In a special jar, tea can be stored in the refrigerator. If you do not have such a jar, open tea packaging should be stored in a cool place away from sunlight and strong smell products. Thus, tea can be stored for 1.5 - 2 months. But it is better, of course, to buy tea in small portions and enjoy fresh Tie Guan Yin.

How to brew Te Guang Yin

Many expect from this wonderful oolong not only flavor and taste. This tea is really intoxicating with its freshness. Often we are asked questions, forgive me for preserving the lexicon: “How to brew Te Guang Yin so that it is perlo (inserted, stuck, etc.)?” We prefer to call this effect the tea state, or at least tea intoxication. Tea is not a drug, its effect is thinner, softer, more spiritual. It expands the boundaries of perception, pacifies, gives a feeling of harmony with oneself and the world around.

So that the effect of Tie Guan Yin was maximum, you need to brew it in a strait, in small portions.

Take a small (150-200 ml) teapot or gaiwan.
Warm up the dishes. Fill the teapot with 1/3 dry tea. Do not forget to enjoy the aroma of dry tea leaf, placed in a heated dish.
Fill the teapot with purified soft water at a temperature of 90-95 ° C. The first tea can be drained - the tea warms up again and absorbs moisture.
Tea is poured into bowls without insisting. Brewing time does not exceed 2 seconds. You can slightly extend the brewing time at the end of tea drinking, when the taste and aroma weakens and begins to go away. Therefore, this method of brewing is also called "strait".

Thus, tea can be brewed 10 or more times. In principle, the amount of brewing is difficult to measure in specific figures, enjoy tea, until wateriness is felt in its taste and aroma. This suggests that tea gave everything that was in it, and it should be "let go" :-)

An alternative (simplified) method of brewing can be Te Guang Yin brewing in a special kettle with a drain button (type, tea master). This is a more modern way of brewing for those who do not want to bother with a lot of dishes.

But both in the first and in the second case - such tea drinking takes time and concentration on the tea itself. If you make Te Guang Yin in an enamel mug and drink a sausage sandwich while looking at a football match, do not expect interaction from this tea. Of course, we exaggerate, but you understand what we are talking about. An hour and a half of your time, calm atmosphere and concentration on tea drinking and your feelings.

Drink this tea, enjoying, savoring every small sip, inhaling the aroma of each pialka and listening to the changes of your states - then the effect of Tie Guan Yin will be bright and unforgettable!

How to choose a good Tie Guan Yin

Like any other tea, no matter how loud the name he wore, Tie Guan Yin has its own grade. Of course, the higher the quality of tea, the higher the cost. It is best to try the tea before buying, but if this is not possible, consider dry twisted leaves. They should be the same in color and size. Color - to the middle of the dark green, sometimes with a turquoise hue. The aroma is bright, heady, floral. If the tea smells of hay or, worse, fish, then it is stale. In dry tea, there should be no broken leaves, crumb, and dust.

No matter how much we write about this wonderful tea, you can’t describe with words when you inhale its aroma, take a sip, how its sweetness and freshness spreads over the palate .... Tie Guan Yin needs to be tried! Getting to know him just will not leave you indifferent!

Enjoy your tea with i-tea.club!