Ti Kuan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy

A perfectly light and refreshing jade oolong. The dry smell is fresh and sweet, with hints of fruit. After rinsing for several seconds to stir open the rolled leaves, the tea says hello with a candied floral aroma, a hint of toasty fruit, and the sweet squashy scent that is typical for greener, medium leaf Chinese teas. I use gentler heat with the water because this is low-fired Ti Guan Yin, and I enjoy the subtler flavors the most in this tea.

Color is very, very bright yellow, with a warm golden hue and a tinge of green, which looks beautiful in white.

The early steeps are soft, but have a very alluring fruity scent, with plenty of hairs. The honeyed taste is very smooth, with gently increasing vegetal notes, and a floral overtone. The aftertaste is mellow with hints of cucumber or squash flavors.

Into the fuller steeps, the floral taste becomes very pronounced, with a sweet and tangy nectar flavor. The toasty taste presents itself in these full flavor steeps, while opening up to the melon undertone, accentuated with a light, fruity finish. The mouth-feel is sticky and creamy, displaying strong notes of honey. The aftertaste is delicate but very pleasantly rich, and puckering.

Later steeps bring out more vegetal flavor, with hints of grass, and a buttery smooth finish. The astringency is very clean and pleasant, complimented with sweet ripe fruity notes. The lingering aftertaste becomes prevalent, with a delectable roasted greens flavor.

To put simply, another satisfying, quality tea from Tealyra (formerly, Tealux). This is a delicious, calming, sweet and mellow Ti Guan Yin that doesn’t disappoint with it’s complex floral and honeyed flavor, and will yield the best results and many infusions with more leaf in the bowl.