A Healing Cup of Mercy
The story of oolong tea and why Tie Guan Yin is called the Iron Goddess of Mercy
Tie Guan Yin is a Chinese oolong tea. Also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy, Iron Guanyin, Ti Kuan Yin, or Tiet Kwun Yum, this renowned tea has long been a favorite among tea lovers, myself included.
If you’re not convinced tea is your beverage of choice, you haven’t tried oolong tea. Oolong is not quite a green or black tea, but processed somewhere in between. Due to its complex production methods, oolongs take on a wide variety of flavors and aromas, resulting in truly exquisite tea.
When I was exploring specialty tea, the first time I tried oolong, I could not believe the flavor. It was unlike any tea I had ever had. To make it palatable, the typical Western style black tea bag requires additional flavorings, such as sugar or milk. Not oolong. No additional flavorings are needed—ever.
Iron Goddess of Mercy
Chinese teas are often given poetic, evocative, or symbolic names to enhance their lure. Based on thousands of years of tradition, their names reflect their place of origin, legend, and observation of leaf style. The Chinese tea nomenclature is often complex.
Tie Guan Yin - modern pinyin, standard Mandarin romanization
Ti Kuan Yin - older Wade-Giles
Iron Goddess of Mercy - English translation
Who is the Goddess of Mercy?
Mercy is the ultimate expression of human compassion. A virtue that reflects a willingness to overlook mistakes and offer a second chance to alleviate suffering. Showing mercy is a sign of moral strength, understanding, and humanity.
Throughout history, all cultures have revered deities associated with mercy. The female Chinese deity Guanyin is widely revered in Buddhism, especially in East Asia. She is known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Her name is short for Guanshiyin, which means "The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World."
Guanyin is one of the most popular deities in Chinese Buddhism. She is considered the female manifestation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and is known for answering the cries and pleas of all beings and relieving their suffering. Guanyin remains a figure of immense reverence and inspiration in art, literature, and daily worship.
The legend of Tie Guan Yin
In Anxi County, Fujian Province, where this oolong tea originates, a humble and devout farmer named Wei Yin lived a simple life. Every day, he passed by a small, dilapidated temple to Guanyin. Though he had little, he cared deeply and, out of deep spiritual devotion, swept the temple, lit incense, and maintained it as best he could.
After many years of this quiet service, Guanyin appeared to him in a dream. She told him that his compassion and care had not gone unnoticed, leading him to a cave behind the temple. There, he would find a treasure.
The next day, Wei Yin found a single tea shoot growing in the wild. He nurtured it carefully, and it eventually produced leaves with a rich, floral aroma and a deep, lingering taste unlike any other tea.
He named the tea Tie Guan Yin.
How oolong tea is made
Oolongs are some of the most prized teas due to their intricate processing, which provides a complex flavor that evolves with each sip. The resulting taste depends on the skill of the tea maker.
The varying oxidation produces oolongs, ranging from 12 to 80 percent, sometimes called green or black oolongs. However, they are not processed in the same way as green or black tea.
The result is the presentation of leaves rolled into little semi-nuggets, the product of an incredible multi-step process.
After the leaves are plucked, they wither in a tray and cool down.
The leaves are then “rocked” in their trays, causing the leaf cells to rupture and disperse their sweet sap within the leaf.
This action sets off the oxidation process and is the most critical step. It all depends on the veteran tea maker's synchronous adjustments and traditional experiences. This is where the art of the craft matters.
The leaves are then bruised and tumbled in a variety of ways. Here, the red-tipped edges of the bruised leaf appear.
After resting, the leaves go through oven firing and tumbling.
I can describe how this oolong tea is made, but the best description is in the viewing. This beautiful 8-minute video gives you a much better idea of what goes into making oolong tea.
If you have a few minutes, it's worth watching. The tea farmers are more than farmers. They are true artisans and craftsmen, lavishing special attention on their tea.
Go ahead and brew a cup, then sit back and watch this miracle of tea unfold. After watching, you will feel the undying sense of pride and purpose for the tea-producing people of Anxi.
Brewing Tie Guan Yin
The Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea from Anxi has the distinguished fragrance of orchids. Traditionally, it is brewed in a Gaiwan, a porcelain teacup with a lid and saucer.
The Gaiwan is designed to be used with delicate green and oolong teas. To infuse the tea leaves, they are placed directly in the cup with the lid on.
The underside of the Gaiwan lid captures the aroma, which guests share before pouring the tea into separate porcelain teacups.
You don’t need a Gaiwan to enjoy oolong tea. A lidded porcelain teapot and 6-ounce cups will suffice.
You will still be able to enjoy the incredible sweet aroma. This oolong tea is made so well that the sweet and subtle fragrance of orchid is present from dry leaf to infusion. Although it's floral, it doesn't taste perfumey at all.
(I had a jasmine pearl tea once that was so obviously artificially flavored it tasted like I was drinking straight from a bottle of perfume. Simply awful. You won’t get that with this tea if you buy the good stuff.)
That’s because the fragrance is the natural essence of the processed leaf. It is not artificially flavored. It needs nothing added to it—nothing—no sugar, no milk, nothing. It is to be enjoyed as is.
The lightly colored golden sweet brew is that good.
Although oolong tea is very complex in processing, it is very easy to brew. Generally, use 190°F water and 2 teaspoons per cup, steeping for 1-2 minutes.
Oolong tea is very forgiving in the brewing process and can be steeped several times, with each infusion imparting new flavors. Tie Guan Yin can be brewed in a Gaiwan, French press, or traditional teapot.
The infused tea liquor should be golden and crystal clear in color with a sweet orchid fragrance.
Oolong tea benefits
Since oolong is a semi-oxidized tea, it is bursting with catechins and polyphenols. These naturally occurring antioxidants may help to increase metabolism and burn fat.
During the oxidation process (absorption of oxygen) that begins with withering, oolong progresses to a higher concentration of theaflavins with a lower concentration of thearubigens. Theaflavins are antioxidants produced during this oxidation process.
Some reported benefits of oolong tea:
Cholesterol. In a 2003 clinical trial, theaflavins were found to reduce blood cholesterol levels, both total and LDL.1
Cancer. Laboratory investigations reported that theaflavins act on numerous points, regulating cancer cell growth, survival, and metastasis.2
Lowers blood sugar. One study showed oolong tea significantly decreased plasma glucose (from an initial concentration of 229 to 162.2 mg/dl), whereas water did not (from 208.7 to 232.3 mg/dl). 3
Weight Loss. A Chinese study in 2009 reported weight loss after six weeks of drinking oolong tea. The US Agricultural Research Services conducted research in 2001, finding that oolong tea increases energy levels, resulting in more physical activity and subsequent weight loss. Oolong tea weight loss is due to its ability to suppress appetite. 4
Caffeine. Oolong tea has caffeine, although the caffeine content will vary depending on the production processes.
Aging. In the above video, we are told that “Lady Lin Mei is the grandmother of Mr. Lin, the tea farmer. She is 102 years old, which she shows no evidence of by her appearance.”
Mr. Lin says it is common in Anxi to witness senior citizens with such longevity. Lady Lin Mei’s longevity is attributed to the practice of tea drinking in Anxi.
I think lifestyle may also contribute to this longevity. It appears all members of the Anxi society are active participants in the life and production of tea. And what an incredible and rewarding lifestyle it must be.
The essence of Tie Guan Yin tea comes from a heritage of the land combined with craftsmanship and creative ingenuity.
Oolong tea health benefits research
Many research studies show how oolong benefits health, from clearing acne to fighting cancer and diabetes. Reading these studies, you would think oolong is a miracle tea. I drink oolong tea for those reasons, but I also drink it because it's so delicious and one of my favorite teas.
If you'd like to read more about the scientific research on oolong tea, Wulong for Life lists 37 published scientific studies from well-known medical researchers categorized by benefit.
If you’d like recommendations for buying quality oolong tea, go to your local specialty tea shop and taste it before buying. I know that’s not always an option. So, the next best place to buy oolong is online. Below are some of my favorite shops where I have purchased quality oolong tea.
Adagio Teas carries an excellenat Fujian Ti Kuan Yin. They also have a Master’s Collection of higher-end teas.
TeaVivre specializes in Chinese teas and sells good organic oolong tea. You might also want to try the Award-Winning Nonpareil Handmade Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea.
Rare Tea Company carries some lovely oolongs on its UK and Amazon stores in the US.
The Tea Spot sells a few oolong teas. They carry an organic Tie Guan Yin from the village of Anxi.
Tea is a remarkable story. The production of a simple cup of tea is really not so simple. We have the rare opportunity to experience not only this exceptional tea but also the tea makers' deep sense of place and purpose in the world.
References
Heiss, M. L., & Heiss, R. J. (2007). The story of tea: A cultural history and drinking guide (pp. 148–149). Random House.
Rose, S. (2009). For all the tea in China: How England stole the world's favorite drink and changed history. Penguin Books.
Kurihara, H., Fukami, H., Toyoda, Y., Kageyama, N., Tsuruoka, N., Shibata, H., Kiso, Y., & Tanaka, T. (2003). Inhibitory effect of oolong tea on the oxidative state of low density lipoprotein (LDL). Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin, 26(5), 739–742. https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.26.739
Shi, H., Liu, J., Tu, Y., Freter, C. E., & Huang, C. (2018). Oolong Tea Extract Induces DNA Damage and Cleavage and Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Growth and Tumorigenesis. Anticancer research, 38(11), 6217–6223. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.12976
https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/26/6/1714/26374/Antihyperglycemic-Effect-of-Oolong-Tea-in-Type-2
He, R. R., Chen, L., Lin, B. H., Matsui, Y., Yao, X. S., & Kurihara, H. (2009). Beneficial effects of oolong tea consumption on diet-induced overweight and obese subjects. Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 15(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-009-0034-8