Tie Guan Yin

Tie Guan Yin derives its name from Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion. Two origin legends compete: one credits a poor farmer who tended a neglected temple's Guanyin statue and was rewarded with a tea plant; the other attributes the discovery to a scholar named Wang. Modern production falls into two camps: the qingxiang (fragrant aroma) style, popularized since the 1990s, is lightly oxidized and minimally roasted, yielding a jade-green, floral, almost green-tea-like cup. The traditional nongxiang (rich aroma) style undergoes deeper oxidation and several rounds of charcoal roasting, producing a warm, toasty, honey-sweet character with more body. The Anxi region's iron-rich red soil contributes to the variety's characteristic orchid fragrance and lingering aftertaste called huigan (returning sweetness).