Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong, 100 g
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 | 110 g |
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| Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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2 reviews for Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong, 100 g
Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong, 100 g
April Mist, traditional green tea, 80 g
Cool Energy, Green teas, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Tea, Zhejiang明前 九龍雲霧
Wild Bush Yunwu:
For those who prefer a little more strength in their green tea, April Mist is a pleasant choice. Harvested from scattered wild tea bushes in late March or early April, depending on the conditions that year and pre Qing Ming nevertheless, in the misty days of the mountainous region for a deeper taste. Lightly roasted for a balance of warmth, aroma and refreshing brightness, this Yunwu (translate: cloud and mist) makes a distinct difference from its counterparts that may look similar.
Net weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Snow Orchid, bouquet Phoenix dancong oolong, 40 g
Cold Energy, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Oolongs, Tea鳳凰冬茶、雪片鴨屎香
Xuepian Ya-shi Xiang:
Finer winter Phoenix oolongs have always been sought after for their unforgettable natural bouquet fragrances. To us, an aroma of a premium tea has to be complete with a winning taste profile. It has taken us over a decade to fine tune the mastery of the processing of the choicest harvest to attain a result we can be proud of. Presenting Tea Hong’s very own Snow Orchid, the roundest, smoothest, and by far the most seductively fragrant oolong ever known. It is our luscious indulgence secretly from Nature.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Honey Orchid, Phoenix dancong oolong, 40 g
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, Tea鳳凰單樅、烏崠蜜蘭香
Milan Xiang Dancong:
The fine mastery that produces Tea Hong’s Honey Orchid has to be coupled with select first flush harvests from high grown tea bushes in order to deliver the kind of quality only a restricted circle of tea aficionados have known and kept to their secret. The overall production volume for such quality in the whole Phoenix region is only a few thousand kilos after all. Most will go to local elites, and the rest to the few hardcore Phoenix oolong fans that are also tea merchants, like us. 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 
Orchid Gratus, Phoenix dancong oolong, 40 g
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, Tea烏崠 鋸朵仔 ( 杏仁香單欉 )
Wudong Xingren Xiang
For people who like classic style Phoenix but desire something more mellow than Honey Orchid, Orchid Gratus offers a taste that is as full-bodied. It is balanced with as subtle a warm and slightly sweet aroma. Not only is this a great choice for the veteran tea connoisseur who seeks peace in the cup, but is also a bridge between softer oolongs and the more vibrant world of taste in Fenghuang Dancong.
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.