Aroma Spreads Far - Iron Goddess of Mercy Tea

Author: Nan Guo Jia Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Tie Guan Yin originates from Anxi County, Fujian Province. The "Qingshui Rock Chronicle" records: "Qingshui Peak rises high, clouds and mist rise from it. Monks planted tea here, nourished by the mountain's mists, bathed in the essence of the sun and moon, and enveloped in the mist of clouds and fog. Drinking it can cure a hundred diseases. The fragrance of tea from places like Laoliao is not as fragrant. At Guikong, there are two or three trees planted in the Song Dynasty, their flavor is even more fragrant, and their efficacy is greater. Drinking it makes one feel as if a breeze rises from both armpits. If one meets Lu Yu, it would be a perfect complement to the tea talk." This indicates that Anxi has been producing tea since the Tang Dynasty. Tie Guan Yin is also known as "Hong Xin Guan Jian" or "Hong Yang Guan Yin." Others like Hong Ying Guan Yin, Bai Xin Wei Guan Yin, Bai Yang Guan Yin, and Bo Ye Guan Yin are all non-pure Tie Guan Yin. The pure variety of Tie Guan Yin is a shrub type, with an sprawling tree shape, slanting branches, and horizontally arranged leaves. The leaf shape is elliptical, with sparse and blunt teeth along the edge, a wavy, ribbed surface that slightly curls backward, thick leaf flesh, dark green and glossy leaves, slightly blunt at the base, slightly concave at the tip, slightly tilted to the left, and not drooping. The tender buds are purplish-red, hence the name "Red Bud Crooked Tail Peach," which is one of the pure variety's characteristics. Anxi Tie Guan Yin is made with strict rigor and exquisite craftsmanship. It is harvested and processed four times a year, with spring tea being the best; autumn tea is second, with particularly high fragrance, commonly known as "autumn fragrance," but the soup is relatively thin; summer and summer heat tea have lower quality.