Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong

Description

Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong (木栅鐵觀音) is a complex traditional oolong from the famous Muzha tea growing area of Taiwan. This is a traditionally roasted oolong tea that has been expertly crafted to produce a balanced, lightly roasted profile. Grown at an altitude of about 600 metres, this particular batch was handpicked and baked in April 2024. We source it from Mr Chang via our Tea Master in Taiwan.

Tie Guan Yin Oolong is a particularly famous Chinese tea that originates from Anxi County of Fujian Province. Traditionally this kind of oolong tea should be roasted. The roasting process is also known as baking and such teas sometimes have the word charcoal in their name. However recent fashion in China means that most Tie Guan Yin oolongs produced there are very minimally oxidised. This style of ‘green oolong’ is increasingly popular due to bright floral flavours and there is much demand for these lighter style of teas. Hence it is often difficult to find a good traditionally roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from China. The roasting process requires great skill on part of the tea master and is time consuming. Many prefer to offer less time-intensive lightly oxidised teas instead. Our minimally oxidised Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Anxi is a prime example of this new modern style.

This Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong by comparison is a great insight into the more traditional and classic way of producing this oolong. The heritage processing methods have been kept alive and well in Taiwan ever since the original Tie Guan Yin plants and processing techniques were brought from Fujian over 100 years ago. The most famous Tie Guan Yin from Taiwan is undoubtably that from Muzha in northern Taiwan, just outside of Taipei. Here the heritage processing methods are still used to produce teas that are famous for their complexity. The Muzha area sits just outside of Taipei City, next to Maokong that is famous for its cats and teahouses. It’s is quite easy to reach by public transport and cable and if you find yourself in Taipei, we can throughly recommend spending the day exploring the area and the teahouses there.

Most of the Tie Guan Yin in Muzha is produced from various cultivars. There is a small amount of plants that are descendants of the original plants brought from Anxi still being grown. But these produce a very small yield and are generally very hard to grow. This means that farmers grow a variety of cultivars, including Tie Guan Yin, Wu Yi, Jin Xuan and Qing Xin. Most teas are made from Jun Xuan or Qing Xin but quite a few farmers would make a tea blended from various cultivars in order to achieve a desired taste. Interestingly, in Muzha, the cultivar the tea is made from is not that important, but the style of processing is. In that regard, the Muzha Tea Farmers’ Competition allows teas made from any cultivar to be entered (we also stock a Competition Grade version). So in this case, the Tie Guan Yin name very much refers to the style of this tea!

The leaves of this Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong are rolled, oxidised to about 10-15% and are medium baked, around 5/10 in strength. The liquor produced is bright and very clear with a comforting roasted aroma. The roasted profile exhibits complex multi-layered but balanced flavours. The roasting is not overpowering, but instead it compliments the flavours of the tea. It has a mineral flavour with sweet, fruity, woody and floral notes. It also delivers a comforting aftertaste with a tangy mineral edge.

It is best brewed at 90°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste and should be brewed multiple times, increasing steeping time with each brew if desired. We find that a longer initial steep of 3 minutes followed by shorter steeping times for subsequent infusions to be best for bringing out complexity of notes. For best results we recommend brewing this tea gong fu style, 6g per 100ml at 95°C with an initial 2-3 seconds rinse followed by 1st infusion of 25s. Then add 5s to each further infusion.

This Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea was first featured in our August 2024 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.