Our Fall 2009 Ti Quan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) is a medium roasted, rolled organic oolong with 40% oxidization and a medium/medium heavy roast. This batch is exquisite! More floral than the 2008 batch but perfectly balanced with the roasted notes. An accompanying earthiness that is accented by a floral sweetness upon finish. Second and third steeps reveal notes of honey and orchid while the more roasted flavor subsides.
This tea is grown at 3,000 feet elevation on our friend's awesome farm in Fujian. We chose this particular tea for its complexity and uniqueness. This tea comes to us in very small batches from our source farm, so it is often unavailable.
The long, complex art of making this Iron Goddess tea culminates in a final, low temperature firing that brings out the most distinguishing characteristic of a light frost covering the tightly wound, deep green leaves. It gives a honey amber infusion that is fragrant, earthy, and flavorful with fresh plum notes.
Organically and sustainably grown at 3,000 ft. using no agro chems or chemical pesticides.
Red bud peach varietal.
2.0 oz Pouch - $16
4.0 oz Pouch - $25.60
Multiple steepings, of course.
AKA Tie Kuan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy
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 Compassion. 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 Compassion. Over time, Mr. Wei and all his neighbors prospered. The rundown temple of Guan Yin (Bodhisattva of Compassion) 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.
(thanks wiki)
