Two Special Tieguanyin Teas
Gold Medal Winner Tieguanyin
By David Lee Hoffman

Mr. Wei Yu De is from a well known lineage of farmers who race their tea farming back seven generations. In the fall of 1997 at the China National Tea Competition, a panel of five judges selected Mr. Wei for the title of "Tea King" in recognition of the Tieguanyin that he submitted for the competition. This award brings great prestige to his family name.

Tieguanyin is a very special tea. It is a lightly oxidized oolong that traces its origin back to the early 18th century when the Tieguanyin varietal of Camellia sinensis was first discovered. Two places make the claim as the birthplace of Tieguanyin. One is Nanyan, Yaoyan Village, Fujian Province. The other site is a five-minute walk down the mountain from Mr. Wei's estate in Songyong Village in the same province. Both claims are backed by historical literature. The recorded annals first give mention to this tea plant in 1736. In 1741 the Emperor Qian Long of the Ching Dynasty was given Tieguanyin tea in tribute. The emperor came to enjoy this tea very much and gave the tea its current name, Tieguanyin, which translates as Iron Goddess; the tea is heavy like iron but light, ethereal, and as pervasive as the Goddess of Compassion, Kwan Yin. (The lineages of Dalai Lamas from Tibet are believed to be re-incarnations of this same deity, know as Chenrezig in Tibet.)

Originally this tribute tea was reserved exclusively for the court. As Tieguanyin became more accessible to the populace, scholars, poets, painters, and philosophers began to draw inspiration from sipping this tea's specialness. Its popularity still hasn't waned judging from the record prices being set at tea auctions.

Four oolong teas are tasted and rated at the China National Tea Competition: Tieguanyin, Ben Shan, Huang Jin Gui, and Mao Xie. But is always the Tieguanyin that commands the greatest attention. For the tea competition, over 200 teas are collected in each of the four categories. These teas are the winners of preliminary competitions held in 27 oolong-producing villages. Five judges examine, smell, taste, re-taste. And discuss each tea's merits and faults. The teas are arranges and re-arranged on the table during the selection process. After the prize teas are selected, an auction is held and the very best teas are sold to the highest bidders.

On May 20, 1995, a Singaporian paid a record price for the top awarded Tieguanyin - 58,000 RMB for one jin (500 grams). This is the equivelent of US$ 6400.00 per pound! The next year the competition was held in Guangzhou, China on November 9, 1996. Mr. Zhang Liang Qing, a businessman from Xiamen, set a new world record for the highest price ever paid for tea. In a packed hall filled with more than 500 tea aficionados, the room went wild with furious bidding as the pewter canister containing the top Tieguanyin was held up. One by one the bidders dropped out as the bids went through the roof and continued skyward. When the final gavel came down, Mr. Zhang had agreed to pay the staggering record price of 170,000 RMB for one jin! This translates to more than US$20,000.00 for one pound of tea!

Tea is taken very seriously in Asia. These kinds of prices are unheard of in the Western tea market where $20,000 can by 40,000 pounds or more of "tea". Americans have only recently begun to realize there is more to tea than what typically appears on supermarket shelves. We revere wine with great esteem. Now it is time for tea.

Production of the finer grades of Tieguanyin require great skill. But skill alone doesn't guarantee good tea. Taste is dependent upon so many factors: plant varietal, proper growing conditions, soil, fertilizer, air, water, altitude, orientation, climate - bad weather at the time of picking could potentially destroy an otherwise exceptional tea. It is only when one observes the entire process, from the picking of the leaves and all the steps along the way for the next 24 hours until the tea is finished, can one fully appreciate the artful skill and intensive labor involved.

The finished leaf is often infused "gung fu" style, which literally means "great skill". Not that the tea is difficult to infuse - you can simply throw some leaf into a pot and add hot water. But this type of tea is often used in ceremony and is fun to prepare in a small pot of a chung (the Chinese lidded cup) using lots of leaf, multiple infusions, and brief steeping times - some as quick as seconds. When the taste is right, all the tea is poured off, either directly into small cups or into another vessel used for serving. The wet leaves remain in the pot and can be reused minutes or even hours later for subsequent infusions, increasing the steeping time as needed. This style of preparation allows the tea maker to precisely control the aroma and taste of the tea. The aroma is always at its best on the first or second infusion but the best taste is often after three or four. Of course one can prepare this tea using a smaller proportion of leaf in a larger pot and go for a single infusion as well.

Tieguanyin is a good choice for the western palate. The taste is seductive with floral notes and a bold fruity character, leaving a long and sweet finish. Tieguanyin goes well with many foods, including spicy dishes and seafood. It is a good choice for quiet afternoons or for creating your own special ceremonies. Restaurants will enjoy its ease of preparation and it will enhance any menu.

November 9, 1996 . . . The hall, charged with energy and excitement, must have left many with the obvious thought,"what did the top Tieguanyin taste like?" It certainly was on my mind, although I never thought I'd have the chance to find out. But the opportunity presented itself when the 86 year old year old Senior Judge Professor Zhang Tian Fu, considered one of the world's top tea tasters, invited myself and my twelve year old daughter, Donna, to join him in tasting some of the teas, including the top award-winning Tieguanyin. This invitation in itself would have justified our trip halfway around the world! My daughter, normally a robust and enthusiastic traveler was now bored and tired after all the excitement of the day and less than enthusiastic about the invitation. Now what to do? If I took her back to the hotel room, I would miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Surely, she could hang I there for just awhile longer. We sat down with Professor Zhang at the tasting table. A few moments later small white porcelain cups containing the most precious tea in the world, the award - winning Tieguanyin, were placed before us. Donna, never one to mince her words, looked me straight in the eyes, jutted her lower lip, and declared, " I don't want any!" Protocol and decorum are very important in the day to day world of China. The politics of business, and the business of politics go hand in hand. Face saving diplomacy and patience are one's daily practice. Leaning over to my daughter, with a big smile on my face, I whispered in her ear in no uncertain terms, "You drink that tea or I'll slit your throat!" The tea was tasted and it certainly wasn't a disappointment. Professor Zhang commented that the tea was a blend from two specific mountains, one tea contributing the delicate aroma, the other providing the taste. He even mentioned the ratio of each one. The farmer who had grown and processed the tea happened to be standing in the crowd behind us and heard the professor's comments. He was astonished at the professor's accuracy. The experience of this private tea tasting was a full meal in itself. The banquet we attended later on was our dessert.
DLH