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| Tieguanyin Tea |
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Tieguanyin tea is named after the Bodhisattva of Compassion (guanyin),
reminding one of the use of tea by Buddhist monks as a stimulating
refreshment during long periods of meditation. Tie means iron, and
while the name Tieguanyin describes a metal statue of the Bodhisattva,
the reddish color of the brewed tea is surprisingly close to that
of iron ore. Dry Tieguanyin has a very distinctive roasted aroma
and when brewed possesses a smooth, sweet, woody flavor that is
robust and satisfying.
Anxi in central Fujian Province is one of the best tea-planting
areas with its warm temperature, plenty rainfall and fertile soil.
Tieguanyin tea produced here is widely known for its good quality
and sweet fragrance.
Tieguanyin is not only a name for the tea but also for the tree.
The tree is not plump, and the branches hang down loosely. The
leaves are thick and dark green, with their edges a little folded
like the folded palms of Kwan-yin (the Buddhist priestess). It
is because its color is dark green, its heaviness can be compared
to iron, and its posture like that of Kwan-yin that it is named
Tieguanyin (Iron Kwan-yin).
Tieguanyin has four types -- spring tea, summer tea, sunstroke
prevention tea, and autumn tea, of which spring tea has the largest
annual production. The quality of Tieguanyin differs according
to its grades. Generally speaking, the spring tea is the best,
then the autumn tea, and the least precious is summer tea. Tieguanyin's
manufacturing procedures are quite complicated. The leaves of
the manufactured tea are tight and dark green. First-grade Tieguanyin
is coated with a thin layer of frost because caffeine evaporates
with the water during its processing. When brewed by water, a
natural fragrance of orchid comes out and the tea has a pure and
heavy aroma. If it is served in a small and exquisite tea set,
by smelling it first and then tasting it, you will have endless
aftertaste in your mouth.
In the process, Tieguanyin has less wilting than other tea, adding
more time to the process of making; after the heating process,
re-crumpling is applied to hold the leaves with cloth and crumple
it to make leaves tight. After re-crumpling and re-heating, small
fire should be applied to heat it to vaporize the water inside
the leaves. The caffeine, as the water vaporizes, sublimes on
the surface as a layer of frost, called "efflorescent".
It is an important factor to judge the quality of Tieguanyin to
be with or without dark green efflorescent.
Tieguanyin is one of the best brands of the oolong teas produced
in Fujian. It contains quite a lot of healthy substances like
alkaloid, vitamin, protein and fragrant oil, etc. Since it is
good for health and beauty in recent years, Tieguanyin has even
been introduced to in Japan, South East Asia, Europe and America,
enjoying worldwide reputation. |
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