Lost Relic Tieguanyin | Oolong Tea

A cup of strong, yet quiet virtues. The roast is hearty, but the body is so smooth it defies gravity. The toasted sweetness is persuasive in the way that old stories ring true.

Harvested and produced May 2, 2025 and completed its third and final roast on October 7, 2025. It’s a one bud, three leaf pick of the Tieguanyin cultivar growing at 2,200 feet in Ying Shan Village, Dehua County, Fujian Province. 

What is Tieguanyin?

The exact translation for Tieguanyin is “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and the loose pronunciation is “tee-uh-gwon-yin.” By definition, these teas are made from the Tieguanyin cultivar. Anxi County is its home. It gets its name from Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, an important figure in both Chinese Buddhism and folk religion. The farmer and scholar Wang Si Nang gets credit for identifying and propagating this cultivar, which is famously difficult to work with, but possesses great potential. It’s been said that if you can successfully make Tieguanyin, you can make anything.

What is the The Tieguanyin Project?

Daniel Hong is not satisfied with the Tieguanyin teas he’s been finding lately and decided to create one himself. He’s looking to capture what he refers to as “Guanyin Charm” - which can be loosely described as having a fruit/flower aroma with heavy body – almost like you could eat it. This is a continuous experiment that started in spring 2021.

Ingredients: oolong tea

Western Steeping Instructions:

4 grams | 10-12 oz water | 195°F | Steep 4 min. 

Number of Cups