Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong
US$32.8
西坪正欉 古法清香鐵觀音
Original Tieguanyin Cultivar
To old time aficionados, tieguanyin is not just about floral aroma. They seek yun-wei, which can be roughly translated as “lingering taste of various tones and accents”. For the right yun-wei, we went to the origin of tieguanyin for a fourth generation farm high in altitude. Tea Hong’s Tieguanyin Traditional is produced from a particular patch where only matured shrubs of the thorough-breed cultivar grow and are harvested only once year. This is to ensure maximum amount of taste and salutary substances are stored in the young leaves for subsequent mastery processing for the wonderful lingering taste of various tones and accents. Like a fine old style tieguanyin should be.
Net weight: 100 g (3.5 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
Out of stock
Taste profile
Nose: Crisp, fresh bouquet with buttery undertone. Refreshing overtone that reminds one of the after-rain air in high mountain forrest. Light accents of oatmeal cookies and the root of Mongolian milkvetch. Palate: Smooth, yet brisk body of silky tactility. Floral with undertone of Job’s tears and hints of herbs. Bright, earthy accents. Finish: Long, lively and malty aftertaste with light, creamy sweetness.
Infusion tip
A fine tieguanyin such as Tea Hong’s Tieguanyin Traditional is not meant only for gongfu style infusion, although many prefer it that way. Brewing it in the large teapot in conventional approaches also give you remarkable results. Always blanch it very quickly before infusion for maximum enjoyment.
Recommended temperature 95°C or above.
Please note that the dry leaves are quite tightly rolled and therefore heavier than the average loose leaves. Familiarise yourself with the tea basing on weight to water volume ratio.
How to tell a genuine Tieguanyin Traditional
For more details, please read How to Read a Tieguanyin Tea Leaf at Tea Log, our blog. While you are there, see also some nice pictures in Traditional Tieguanyin Tea Farm.
Additional information
| Shipping Weight | 150 g |
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| Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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2 reviews for Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong
Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong
White Peony Classic Long, traditional white tea
Tea, White teas, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy明前、政和牡丹王
Zhenghe Mudan Wang
While White Peony from Fuding tastes more floral, that from the other earliest region, Zhenghe, tastes longer and deeper. The more tedious curing process is marked by the darker colors on the leaves. While many prize Silver Needle Supreme for its delicate taste and furry appearance, a superb traditional white tea as White Peony Classic Long delivers a more impressive taste experience. That may explain why this Mudan Wang, aka King of White Peony, is considered the best and most classical representation from the origin, and a favourite by many tea connoisseurs. As most aficionados prefer it, we have always matured this tea adequately before releasing it in the shop. The current stock is a single batch first flush ( i.e. pre-Qing-ming ) that we have matured in our environment since its harvest in 2019.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack 
Huangshan Maofeng Classic, traditional green tea
Tea, Green teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy黃山毛峰、雨前翠玉
A quintessential traditional pre-rain green tea
Huangshan Maofeng green tea is a must-have souvenir when one visits Huangshan. However, even if you know the way to real teashops rather than tourist traps, a pack of such quality as Tea Hong's Cuiyu would come at a high price. That is why this pleasant tasting and slightly sweet baked green tea is a most popular item not only for our retail, but also export. To maintain consistent high quality, we employ only harvest before the lunar almanac demarkation of “guyu” — the first rain for seeding, around early to mid-April. "Yuqian" — before the rain — is the traditional term for this.
Net weight: 35 g (1.2 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Cassia Classic, Wuyi yancha oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Wuyi-shan, Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Warm Energy武夷岩茶、正品肉桂
Classic Rougui Cultivar
Cassia (Rougui) was the first tea variety that received popular praise in the recent few hundred years from the Wuyi region. Named after the tree bark spice, there is otherwise no biological relationship at all, although there is an aromatic component in the oolong that is akin to that of the spice. This classic version is a bit deeper baked than the supreme “Extraordinaire” version, as has traditionally been done for the past century, or longer. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
(Spring 2025 batch)
This is a vibrant but balanced green Tieguanyin, in my humble opinion. There’s plenty of the distinctive smell and taste I associate with the cultivar– which I’d personally call a “tart fruit” note, but others might find more floral –but it’s not the tea’s only merit. There’s some sweetness that reminds me of a good Taiwanese oolong, the tea has good body, and both the initial rinse and “stewed leaf” steeps after the tea has given its best are pleasant to drink. And at no point does the brewed infusion smell like a bubble bath, even at questionably high ratios. (If that sounds like a non-sequitur to anyone reading, I hope you continue to successfully avoid questionable tea.)
Wow, what a lovely and thoroughly enjoyable Tieguanyin. It’s very high quality with a humble price tag – if you want a daily drinker that feels more like a luxurious treat, this may be the perfect option for you. One could easily pay twice as much from a different vendor and receive something half the quality as this.
This tea is very balanced, it has an excellent mouthfeel and smooth floral qualities that do not feel overly “green” or “raw” at their core, like so many other Tieguanyin do. The aftertaste sits very nicely in the back of the throat and lingers for a while, as all good Tieguanyin should.
Oddly enough, I enjoy looking at the leaves after they are brewed. You can tell this is the authentic cultivar, plucked and processed with respect for a craft that brought this oolong into the center stage of a global spotlight.
Tea Hong’s traditional-style Tieguanyin captures the essence of what makes this oolong one of the most sought-after teas in the world, and at a price point that is simply unbeatable.
There is an old Hong Kong saying, “Ng4 paa3 fo3 bei2 fo3, zi2 paa3 ng4 sik1 fo3 — 唔怕貨比貨，只怕唔識貨” — meaning, “(we) fear not of (you) comparing our products with those of others, (we) fear only of ignorance of quality.” The city of Hong Kong began as a trading port in the 19th century. It very soon became a key hub for goods from China, Southeast Asia and around the world. After the taking over of China by the Communists in 1949, the British colony’s trading role became even more important. Competition amongst sellers was keen. This saying was widely used amongst purveyors of top quality products to alert buyers to watch out carefully for inferior quality hidden under a similar appearance or name, or even false claims. Although it had long since became a cliché and forgotten in recent decades, I find the market condition no less confusing, at least in the area of tea.
I am happy that besides knowing your Phoenix oolongs, you also understand a genuine tieguanyin. I hope more people do.
Nowadays, partly due to the indulgence in the overuse of fertilisers, many productions of even authentic tea bushes lack the intricacies of a traditional tieguanyin. Not to mention lowly crossed clones and sloppiness in processing. Respectable farmers and producers are, therefore, precious finds.