Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea
Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea
Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea
Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea
Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea

No. 99

Tie Guan Yin - Loose Leaf Tea

Sale price£9.50

Our award-winning Iron Goddess of Mercy loose-leaf tea is a premium oolong with a creamy texture and divine floral notes.

Format
size:50g Pack
Quantity:

Delivery Info

Christmas Delivery cut-off dates

Standard UK Delivery for Christmas has now ended. 

UK Tracked available until Midnight Sunday 22nd.

Next Working Day Delivery available until 2pm Monday 23rd.

We kindly ask that all customers check the cut-off dates to ensure services selected meet their needs and to avoid any disappointment. Orders placed after cut-off point of the selected shipping service will not arrive in time for Christmas.

Please note all times listed are in UK GMT. 

UK Christmas Delivery cut-off dates

Standard Delivery

Royal Mail

2pm Friday 20th December

This deadline has now passed. 

UK Tracked

DPD

Midnight Sunday 22nd December

Next Working-Day

DPD

2pm Monday 23rd December

Saturday

DPD

2pm Friday 20th December

This deadline has now passed. 

International Christmas Delivery cut-off dates

As of 2pm 13th December, all cut-off points have been passed for International Delivery in time for Christmas.

Standard International/Economy International (Untracked)

All non-European destinations (except South Africa, Canada, Middle and Far East and USA)

2pm Wednesday 9th October

This deadline has now passed. 

Hong Kong, Middle and Far East, Singapore and South Africa

2pm Monday 21st October

This deadline has now passed. 

Canada and USA

2pm Wednesday 6th November

This deadline has now passed. 

Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Turkey and Western Europe

2pm Monday 2nd December

This deadline has now passed. 

 

Other International Shipping cut-off dates 

UPS

2pm Friday 13th December

This deadline has now passed. 

Fedex

2pm Friday 13th December

This deadline has now passed. 

UK deliveries

You can find more information on their services' status at the following links:  Today's Royal Mail updates - Today's DPD service updates.

 

Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

£3.50, Free - over £40

Royal Mail

2-5 days, Tracked

DPD Tracked

£6.50 Free - over £100

DPD

1-3 days, Tracked

Next-Working-Day

£9.95

DPD

Orders placed before 2pm, Dispatched Monday - Friday, Next Working Day, Tracked

Saturday

£15.00

DPD

Orders placed before 2pm, Saturday delivery, Tracked

Orders are processed and dispatched Monday-Friday. 

*Most delivery will be made within the usual time-frame, but some areas and services may experience delays. 

*Please note estimated transit time is based on business days and does not include weekends or holidays. 

European deliveries

Currently, there are some delays with sending parcels to EU countries from the UK. This is due to the UK leaving the European Union. We will keep you updated with any notifications as they happen.

Please note that a tracking number is not provided for EU Standard deliveries. 

CUSTOMS CHARGES: All commercial goods arriving from the UK are subject to VAT, Import Duty and a handling fee in the country receiving the goods.

Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

From £5.50

Royal Mail

3-7 days, up to 21*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

Economy

From £5.50

Royal Mail

3-7 days, up to 21*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

Tracked

From £15.95

Fedex / UPS

3-5 days, up to 8*, Tracked

*Most deliveries will be made within the usual time-frame, but some areas and services may experience delays.

*Please note estimated transit time is based on business days and does not include weekends or holidays. 

 

Rest of the World


Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

From £4.00

Royal Mail

8-15 days, up to 30*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

USA tracked

From £15.00

UPS

2-3 days, up to 7*, Tracked

ROW Tracked

From £18.95

UPS

1-5 days, up to 5*, Tracked


*Most delivery will be made within the usual time-frame, but some areas and services may experience delays.

*Please note estimated transit time is based on business days and does not include weekends or holidays. 

International Buyers (Including EU) – Please Note:

Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be before buying.

If you have any questions, please contact us via sales@theteamakers.co.uk.

The origins of our Tie Guan Yin Chinese oolong tea

If Tie Guan Yin Oolong isn't familiar, you'll surely know this iconic tea by its other names: Iron Goddess of Mercy or Iron Buddha. Wrapped in legend and renowned for its wonderfully creamy texture and complex flavour, this exquisite lightly oxidised type of tea is one of the most famous Chinese oolongs, produced in Anxi County, in the southern part of Fujian province.

Our 2021 Great Taste award-winning luxury loose-leaf version of this popular oolong tea is painstakingly produced using the bao rou, or 'wrap rolling' technique. Here, withered, bruised and oxidised tea leaves are wrapped in cloth and tightly rolled and kneaded to form tightly knitted pellets, each with a 'tail', which is actually a small piece of stem. The resulting eye-catching, uneven pellets of bright emerald green produce a golden yellow infusion and a light floral aroma with notes of freshly roasted nuts that perfectly captures the qualities of the Anxi spring harvest.

But the real joy of this tea is in its flavour: creamy, rich and floral with exquisite notes of nectar and a buttery smooth mouthfeel. This authentic oolong may not show so much of the iron, but it has more than enough divine qualities to live up to its name.

What is oolong tea?

Also known as Wulong ('black dragon'), oolong is a semi-oxidised tea, which is why it's often referred to as being halfway between a green and a black tea. The vast majority of oolongs are grown in the mountainous areas of China, particularly Fujian province, and in Taiwan, where oolong was introduced in the 19th century.

Before being plucked, buds are left to open and thicken up so that they are robust enough to withstand the bruising to come – one of the unique parts of the oolong production process. Having been left to wither in sunlight, next comes the bruising: an ancient and carefully controlled technique that kicks off oxidation in the leaves.

Traditionally, bruising was caused by shaking and tumbling the withered tea leaves in wicker baskets, though today machines usually do the work. As the cell walls in the leaves break down, oxidation occurs, reducing bitterness in the leaves and helping create each tea's individual character. How long each oolong is oxidised depends on the style: the greenest may be oxidised to only about 5%, while the darkest might reach 90%, on the border of being a black tea.

After bruising, the teas are left to further wither, oxidise and develop flavour – a practice usually carried out indoors. The length of time over which the leaves are oxidised is pivotal to the outcome of the tea, hence these steps may be repeated several times to achieve the desired result.

Next up is a process known as 'fixing' or 'kill-green', during which the leaves are heat-treated, usually with hot air, to halt oxidisation. After this, the tea leaves are shaped – traditionally rolled into either long curls known as strips, or small pearl-like balls. Finally, the tea is dried and roasted to further enhance its flavour. Viewed up close, these finished teas assume fascinating forms: from long, nearly black, twisted and twig-like, to small, gnarly and lettuce-green. In fact, the only thing more varied than their form is their flavour.

The health benefits of oolong

For centuries, the Chinese have touted the health benefits of oolong tea: as an aid to weight loss, cardiovascular function and improved cognition. And recent studies have shown that drinking a couple of cups of oolong per day may indeed help break down fat while you're sleeping due to the tea's metabolism-boosting capabilities, therefore reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Those capabilities are down to the tea's high levels of polyphenols, the antioxidant-packed plant-based compounds that are also linked to a decrease in cell division in certain cancers, improved bone mineral density and a reduction in certain skin conditions such as eczema.

The legend of Tie Guan Yin

Legend has it that Tie Guan Yin tea was named after an iron statue of Guanyin – in the Buddhist tradition, the bodhisattva (enlightened being) of compassion – which was located in a rundown temple in rural Anxi. According to the story, an impoverished farmer named Wei Yin walked past the site every day. Despite being exhausted from his labours in the fields, Wei was moved by the ruinous state of the temple to spend many months cleaning and fixing it up, and lighting incense to honour Guanyin. His reward came one day when he fell asleep in the temple and Guanyin came to him in a dream, directing him to the location of a great treasure. When he awoke, he discovered the treasure – a tea shoot, hidden in a cave at the back of the temple. Having planted, harvested and produced the tea, he named it 'Tie Guan Yin'. Iron Goddess of Mercy tea was born.

Alternatives to Tie Guan Yin tea

If you're looking Oolong tea, you can't go past our Four Seasons Taiwanese tea. Earthy-sweet, with a mild, nutty character, it's an easy way to get your oolong fix. Meanwhile, our Ali Shan sits at the other end of the spectrum: grown in the high, mist-shrouded mountains of Taiwan, it's a special treat. Or how about a white tea? Filled with antioxidants and floral flavours from its spring flush, our White Peony is another plush and fruity option from Fujian.

For the full range of The Tea Makers of London oolongs, browse our Tea Shop. Upgrade your teaware and create your own gongfu ceremony – the ritualised, traditional preparation of tea – with our range of gaiwans. Or shop our range of teapots, especially our authentic handcrafted Yixing clay teapot, perfect for preparing black, oolong or pu-erh teas.

Region

Fujian, China

Fujian, a coastal province of southeastern China, faces the Taiwan Strait and is predominantly mountainous, covered in dense forests. The elevation spans from sea level to 2,174m at Mount Huanggang’s peak in the Wuyi Mountains, providing a natural barrier and a spectacular backdrop for tea cultivation. The province experiences a temperate humid subtropical climate with hot, rainy summers and cool, dryer winters, occasionally snowy in higher altitudes.

This climate, coupled with the province’s complex topography, supports a rich tapestry of vegetation and wildlife, creating an ideal setting for producing a variety of teas including Jasmine Green, Tie Guan Yin, Oolong, and smoked teas. Fujian is renowned for its rich, fertile soils and diverse flora at lower elevations, which include evergreens, hardwood trees, and a plethora of bird, amphibian, and reptile species. The higher elevations nurture deciduous trees and rhododendrons. The distinct teas such as those from the Wuyi Mountains and the white teas from the elevated, lush Fuding and Zhenghe counties are celebrated worldwide, making Fujian a critical and vibrant player in the global tea market.

2-3g

200ml

100°C

2 - 3mins