Tieh Kwan Yin – Tea of the Iron Goddess of Mercy is the stuff of Legends
Deep in the heart of Fujian’s Anxi County, a temple was gradually but steadily falling into disrepair. Inside stood the iron statue of Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Legend has it that a labourer, poor but caring, started to tend the ruined temple. Although he could not afford the cost of fully repairing the temple, he was inspired to do what little he could, sweeping the temple and lighting incense as an offering to Guan Yin.
The Gift of Tie Kwan Yin - Iron Goddess of Mercy
One night, Guan Yin appeared to him in a dream and told him of a cave behind the temple where treasure awaited. He was to take the treasure and share it with others. The farmer found a single tea shoot and planted it in his field, eventually nurturing it into a large bush from which he produced the finest tea. He gave cuttings of this rare plant to all his neighbors and began selling the tea under the name Tieh Guan Yin. He and his neighbours prospered, the rundown was temple repaired, a symbol of the compassion that had been demonstrated.
How many of us would have seen and appreciated the gift of that tea shoot, or would you have just missed it, even perhaps have trodden over it, not recognising it for the gift it was?
I confess I was expecting something else at this point in the story, something more fantastic, my imagination running to ancient treasure, or at the very least a large pile of gold. But a tea shoot, was that it I thought?! But the absolute magic of the legend of Tieh Kwan Yin is to illustrate the challenge of recognising a gift for what it is, not what you think you want but to understand the best gifts are actually what you need.
A beautiful blue and grey patterned Paragon tea cup - Just the perfect cup for Tieh Kwan Yin
Tieh Kwan Yin is the Most Famous Chinese Ooolong – A few practical notes on brewing Tieh Kwan Yin – Tea of the Iron Goddess of Mercy
Tieh Kwan Yin is the most famous Oolong from the Fujian province of China, the ancient home of Tea. Do wash your tea leaves in boiling water just for a few moments before you start to infuse it for 2 -3 minutes, ideally brewing in a small teapot. Further infusions can be made, releasing the wonderful aroma of peaches, fragrant without being absolutely vegetal green. Each oolong is a unique mix, part oxidised, a delightful and unique blend of green and black tea.
chinese oolong leaf tea
Ti Quan Yin (or any of its manifold spellings) is an excellent tea, but one which is beset by misrepresentation. I have seen it sold as other things, for instance ‘Milk Oolong’, ‘Silk oolong’ or ‘Butter Oolong’, or even Wulong! (An Oolong from the Wu Shan mountains??!!)
I have no problems with the nomenclature given to this excellent tea, but have some serious issues with the prices charged by unscrupulous merchants and the fact that their entourage of customers have not noticed that they are being ripped off! This tea should cost no more than about £18.00 for a 250g pack. I have seen it sold at up to £50.00 per 250g on several web sites in the UK, US and Australia. You can check this yourself on Google. There are a lot of rip-off sites out there, so I can only urge people to price check and buy competitively. Ti Quan Yin is a lovely tea, and is in my pot at least 4 times a week!
thanks so much for your advise James, really appreciate your expert view