Rediscovering the 'black sheep' of oolong tea

Tie Guan Yin, a well-known Chinese oolong tea, has gained a negative reputation among tea enthusiasts in recent years. This is mainly because Chinese tea experts often consider it too fragrant, grassy, or tacky.

However, this wasn't always the case. The old Tie Guan Yin, now referred to as "traditional" Tie Guan Yin, was fragrant but not overpowering, mellow but not tacky, and had all the characteristics of a premium oolong tea. It was the standard for oolong tea globally before other oolong teas, such as Wuyi Cliff Tea/Pheonix Dancong, gained popularity. Even today, you might not find cliff tea or Pheonix Dancong on the tea menu of an ordinary Chinese restaurant worldwide, but they will have Tie Guan Yin.

Tea petioles = good stuff

In traditional Tie Guan Yin tea production, the petioles of the plant are used along with the leaves. Before the 1990s, the picking process involved one bud and three leaves, which were processed together with their petioles until the final production stage. This means that the brewed tea also contained the petioles.

Traditional Tie Guan Yin with rich petioles from Anxi, China. [photo credit: Suzanne L]

Tea petioles are a rich source of tea polyphenols, including tea polysaccharides and theanine. Studies suggest that tea polysaccharides can help lower blood sugar levels, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. Moreover, Tie Guan Yin tea with petioles is an ideal choice for aging and preserving tea and has been traditionally used in medicine to treat certain illnesses. Unfortunately, these beneficial tea petioles are often artificially removed.

Nowadays, a large proportion of the Tie Guan Yin tea available in the market is de-petioled and lightly roasted, mostly for the sake of aesthetics, easy packaging, and to align with the current market trends. However, suppose you ever get the opportunity to savor the traditionally roasted Tie Guan Yin with petioles, you will realize that this provides the tea with its smooth, full-bodied, and aromatic essence.

Traditional vs new

The traditional Tie Guan Yin, in which the green is heavily tossed and fermented, has been declining from the market since the 1990s. It has been replaced by a new Tie Guan Yin produced through new techniques introduced by Taiwanese tea producers. The new process abandons the traditional method, neglects the importance of green-tossing, and the degree of fermentation is also low. The resulting dry tea is greener in color and has a distinct floral aroma. The soup liquor presents a lighter yellowish green, and the tea leaves have a good appearance, but the overall taste of the tea leaves is thin, the foaming resistance is low, and it cannot be stored for a long time.

The popularity of Tie Guan Yin has led to an increase in counterfeit products in the market. The counterfeited tea has a thin taste and cannot be brewed well. This is why tea enthusiasts prefer other tea varieties.

This Anxi Traditional Oolong is made with tea mastery in the 1960s, it is generally called 古法乌龙 (Ancient Oolong). credit: Suzanne L

The traditional Tie Guan Yin is tossed heavily and fried at a moderate temperature, which makes it easy to form "green leaves with red edges." The kneading is moderate, and the fermentation is heavy, giving a rich taste. The overall tea properties are gentle and more suitable for everyone to drink daily. In contrast, Tie Guan Yin produced under the new technology, is stir-fried at a higher temperature than the original temperature and is made using a rolling machine. The degree of fermentation is light, and the nature of the tea is relatively cold. It is not particularly friendly to many people with weak stomachs.

Tie Guan Yin gained tremendous popularity in the market with its mellow taste. Still, the market was flooded with various 'new technology' Tie Guan Yin products, with prices ranging from tens to one hundred yuan. Most of these teas are summer teas picked by machine, without the greening process; they are mostly directly fried and roughly pressed. The dazzlingly low prices and inferior tea leaves have seriously disrupted the market.

There are many adverse news reports on the internet about excessive pesticide residues and heavy metal elements in Tie Guan Yin. There is no way to verify these now, and it is impossible to judge whether they are true or false, but they have resulted in prejudice among consumers who do not know the truth. Most authentic Anxi Tie Guan Yin does not have problems with excessive pesticide residues and heavy metal elements. Still, some bad apples sacrifice product quality over short-term profits, dramatically affecting its reputation.