Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Tie Guan Yin tea is a type of Oolong tea, and is – deservedly – one of the most revered and sought after type tea in China. Sometimes also written as Ti Kuan Yin or Iron Goddess Oolong Tea. With a delightfully fresh floral taste. It is well-known both inland and abroad. You will certainly be surprised with the distinct orchid fragrance of this Organic Superfine Tie Guan Yin. Meanwhile the liquid of this Oolong tea is transparent and bright, which truly is a feast to the eyes. In taste, this Organic Tie Guan Yin has sweet flavor, long-last fragrance and comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Superfine Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Teavivre (also known as Iron Goddess), is lovely – really lovely indeed. Sweet, crisp in flavor, with delightful floral overtones.
The dry leaves look very much like other Tie Guan Yin teas I’ve encountered – the leaves have been tightly wound into pellets. These pellets seem smaller than a typical Tie Guan Yin, and the color is a very vivid, dark forest green. Beautiful! The aroma is vegetative, reminding me of springtime when the air is filled with the scent of new, green growth and notes of flower.
Ordinarily, I combine the first two infusions for my first cup, but today, I wanted to try the first infusion on its own. So, after a quick fifteen second rinse, I infused the leaves for 45 seconds and enjoyed the tea. My first infusion was quite light in flavor. Sweet, with delicate floral tones and a hint of creaminess to the taste and texture.
The second cup – the combination of the second and third infusions – is much creamier, sweeter and has a heady floral essence that says “orchid!” I can taste a vanilla-esque note to this. There isn’t a strong vegetative taste to this cup, but I do notice some vegetation off in the background. Beautifully sweet, this cup!
The third cup – which is the combination of the fourth and fifth infusions – is a bit lighter in texture than the second, but not quite as crisp as the first. There is a certain brightness to this cup, I can almost taste a hint of citrus to this. Not quite a “fruit-like” flavor, but the acidic nature of the citrus is what I notice, and this offers a nice contrast to the sweet, floral tones. Still quite sweet, the flavors are beginning to meld here, becoming more unified and less distinct.
This is really a lovely Tie Guan Yin … if you’ve only room on your tea shelf for one Tie Guan Yin, this should definitely be one that you consider for that coveted spot! This one is top-notch!
