Tie Guan Yin Classic 2008 铁观音
Limited release oolong from our 45 Year Aged TGY Set
What happens when you take a painstakingly crafted tea and allow it to age? It becomes like a bouquet of red roses! Every few years the farmer brings it out of storage to reroast it under low heat for a few days and let the taste become deeper with every firing. TGY 2008 is a perfect example of prolonged aging where the tea transcends its original form and a new character has evolved. The taste is dense with notes of dark amber maple syrup with a zing of minerality and a developing sour plum when you reach later steepings. The aroma is pungent and the liquid is thick and dark but the taste is absolutely sublime!
Tie Guan Yin or Iron Buddha of Mercy is arguably one of the most famous teas in China because of its intoxicating floral taste and aroma. There are few teas that compare in expression and when put in the hands of a truly talented producer it becomes pure magic!
Tie Guan Yin is also the name used to reference the cultivar of the tea tree and its birthplace is Anxi. This TGY hails from the town of Jian Dou and was processed using only traditional wooden presses and oxidized slightly darker than the current trend of super green oolong. We have spent two years searching for a farmer that still makes TGY oolong the traditional way without the use of pesticides, machines, and medium roasted.
Handmade production starts with sun withering, cooling, and shaking with baskets in a ventilated room, fixing over an iron pan heated by wood fire, rolling using a manual wood press, shaping in a cloth bag using body weight, and finally drying in baskets over charcoals at low heat for about 36hrs. This method of making tea is hard work, especially for elderly farmers. The taste is elegant and deep and it is said to make even the simplest act of breathing enjoyable.
Origin:
Anxi, China
Cultivar:
Yu Guan Yin
Flavor Profile:
Peaches, Caramel, Nutmeg, Red Rose
Servings:
5 x 5g
Net weight:
25g
