Tie Guan Yin

Tei Guan Yin is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea associated with Anxi in the Fujian province. Named after the Buddhist saint Guan Yin, it has also been translated as "Iron Goddess of Mercy" after the old translation for Guan Yin''s name. Recently the tea has been grown in Nantou, Taiwan where it thrives.  Other spellings and names include Ti Kuan Yin, Tit Kwun Yum, Ti Kwan Yin, Tie Guan Yin, Iron Buddha, Iron Goddess of Mercy, and Tea of the Iron Bodhisattva, which is probably the closest English translation.

The tea should be brewed with fresh mineral water at 185°F(85°C) using smaller intervals of time when steeping rather than smaller amounts of tea. Tie Guan Yin tea produces a fragrant orchid-like aroma when steeped, the tea may be very floral or very fruity.

In modern times, the leaf of the tie guan yin tea is rolled into small tubes and then dried for consumption. In effect, this allows for the tea leaves to be brewed more times. As the leaf unfurls, differing aromatics and tastes are released with each brewing. Tie Guan Yin tea is excellent for GongFu (High-skill) Tea.

Legend of Te Guan Yin

The legend behind this tea has many variations and this is one of those accounts.

Deep in the heart of Fujian''s Anxi County there was a rundown temple that held inside an iron statue of Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Every day, on his walk to his tea fields a poor farmer named Mr. Wei would pass by and reflect on the worsening condition of the temple.

Something has to be done, thought Mr. Wei. But he did not have the means to repair the temple because he was poor.

Instead the farmer brought a broom and some incense from his home. He swept the temple clean and lit the incense as an offering to Guan Yin. "It''s the least I can do," he thought to himself.

Twice a month for many months, he repeated the same task. Cleaning and lighting incense. One night, Guan Yin appeared to him in a dream. She told him of a cave behind the temple where a treasure awaited him. He was to take the treasure for himself, but also to share it with others.

In the cave, the farmer found a single tea shoot. He planted it in his field and nurtured it into a large bush, of which the finest tea was produced. He gave cuttings of this rare plant to all his neighbors and began selling the tea under the name Tie Guan Yin, Iron Bodhisattva of Mercy.

Over time, Mr. Wei and all his neighbors prospered. The rundown temple of Guan Yin (Bodhisattva of Mercy) was repaired and became a beacon for the region. And Mr. Wei took joy in his daily trip to his tea fields, never failing to stop in appreciation of the beautiful temple.