Iron Goddess of Mercy tea is considered the quintessential Chinese oolong tea. Named after the female deity, Kuan Yin, meaning ‘Goddess of Mercy’. ‘Ti’ means ‘iron’, referring to the iron jars the tea used to be stored. A lightly oxidized or ‘greener’ oolong, this famous tea originates from a special large leaf tea varietal, having strong fruity and floral aromas and flavors.  Southern Fuijian province and northern Taiwan grow the special Ti Kuan Yin tea varietal and produce over 200 varieties.

According to legend, Chinese Qing emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) prayed to goddess Kuan Yin when he had smallpox. She answered his prayers and later appeared in a dream. In the dream, she showed him a place where poor farmers lived and a few tea bushes grew. She asked him to help the people cultivate these tea bushes and prosper from them in her name. Qing emperor Qianlong (r. 1736-1795) declared Ti Kuan Yin a tribute tea.  Tribute teas are famous Chinese teas used to pay taxes during imperial rule. The new Ti Kuan Yin tea industry exploded.

Ti Kuan Yin is produced in southern region of the Fujian province called Anxi. Ti Kuan Yin is made from tiequanyin tea bush cultivars in Anxi. There are three main Ti Kuan Yin styles: clear and fragrant Tiequanyin, Traditional Tiequanyin, and Wild Tieguanyin. Two factors affect the Ti Kuan Yin processing: tea bush variety and method of leaf processing. Ti Kuan Yin leaves are plucked from 27 villages in Anxi mountains. The three main varieties are: Red Hart Kuan Yin, White Heart Kuan Yin and Thin Leaf Kuan Yin. Red hart Kuan Yin cutlivars are considered the best leaves.

Ti Kuan Yin manufacture takes between 36 to 40 hours to complete. Combining traditional and modern processing techniques, the leaves go through a specific 18 step processing. First leaves are hand plucked in early afternoon, and set out to wither in the sun.. Leaves are then placed in a cloth and rolled into a big ball.
Tea workers roll the ball in a circular motion, bruising the leaves, causing the leaves to curl into little balls. Cloth balls are placed on a rotary machine for several minutes, then the cloth is unrolled. Tea workers repeat the cycle of rolling the tea, bruising the leaves and letting wither a few times. After the second bruising, the leaves are lightly tumbled, developing fragrance. Tea workers alternate tumbling and resting a few times before de-enzyming the leaves for moisture removal. Leaves are rolled up again and placed on the rotary machine. This time the internal cells are broken, releasing the juices.

Leaves go through the drying machine, then rolled again and dried again. Stems are separated out and leaves go through the drying machine one last time. The last drying can be in an oven or in a basket over a charcoal fire.

Ti Kuan Yin is a favorite, because of its unique flavor and aroma. The intricate processing allows to leaves to keep robust flavors. By slowly drying the tea, tea drinkers can re-infuse the leaves many times. Each steeping reveals new flavors and characteristics. Brew 2 teaspoon per 6 oz. of filtered water at about 200oF for 45 seconds to a minute.