Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong
Anxi's older, darker Tieguanyin: roasted nuts, brown sugar, orchid and a lingering mineral sweetness.
Traditional roasted Tieguanyin, called nongxiang, is the darker style of Anxi's famous oolong: more oxidized than the modern green style and finished with a slow charcoal roast.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 40 mg in one serving (8 oz cup (240ml)), a concentration of 16.7 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.
Editorial estimate, not a laboratory measurement
Related gear
| Brewing method | Gaiwan or Mug |
|---|---|
| Brew ratio | 1:17 |
| Leaf & water per infusion | 6g → 100g |
| Grind size | Tightly Rolled, Charcoal-Roasted |
| Water temperature | 208°F / 98°C |
| Target brew time | 30 seconds for the first infusion, plus about 10 seconds each round |
| Serving used for caffeine | 8 oz cup (240ml) — see the mug or teapot version below |
What you need
- 6 g loose-leaf oolong
- 100 g filtered water at 98°C
Required gear
Step-by-step protocol
- 0:00Warm the gaiwan or pot with hot water and discard it. Add 6 g of leaf and smell the warmed leaf before brewing.
- 0:20Rinse: cover with water at 98°C and pour off immediately. This wakes the leaf; do not drink it.
- 0:40First infusion — pour off after 30 seconds, decanting completely.
- 1:35Second infusion, 30 seconds.
- 2:30Third infusion, 40 seconds. From here add about 10 seconds each round.
- 3:35Keep going until the liquor pales — good leaf gives seven or more infusions.
Brewing it in a mug or teapot
The gongfu method above packs a lot of leaf into a small vessel. This version is for a 240 ml cup — the serving the caffeine figure describes.
- Leaf
- 3 g
- Water
- 240 ml
- Temperature
- 208°F / 98°C
- Steep
- about 3 minutes
- 0:00Warm the mug or teapot with hot water and pour it away, so the brewing water does not lose heat to cold ceramic.
- 0:15Add 3 g of leaf.
- 0:30Pour 240 g of water at 98°C over the leaf, cover, and start the timer.
- 3:30Lift the leaf out or pour the tea off the leaf completely. Leaf left in the cup keeps extracting and turns the last mouthful bitter.
If the cup tastes smoky, drop the water to about 90°C. The same leaf gives three or four more infusions, each 30 to 60 seconds longer.
What it may be good for
The caffeine count
We list about 40 mg for an 8 oz cup.
Hotter than the green style
A roasted oolong takes water close to the boil, 95 to 100°C, where the green style prefers 90 to 95°C. If the cup tastes smoky, lower the temperature to about 90°C.
What to watch out for
- Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you.
Traditional roasted Tieguanyin, called nongxiang, is the darker style of Anxi's famous oolong: more oxidized than the modern green style and finished with a slow charcoal roast. The cup is amber, with roasted nut, brown sugar and orchid notes. Brewed with water near the boil, 98°C.
Origin & Story
Before the 1990s, a pack of Tieguanyin from Anxi would have looked brown, not green. The leaf was oxidized further and baked for longer, sold as nongxiang, strong fragrance, and the dry leaf was a deep brown that some sellers called an amber oolong.
The change came in the 1990s, when northern Chinese drinkers asked for a high aroma and a fresh taste. Farmers in Anxi began making a lightly oxidized, barely roasted Tieguanyin with a green-yellow liquor. That qingxiang style now dominates the market, and the roasted tea became the connoisseur's alternative.
Traditional leaf is oxidized more, 30 to 50 percent by two guides, and then roasted slowly over charcoal. A good roast is not an afternoon's work: it can take dozens of hours, spread over several sessions spaced months or even years apart, with the leaf stirred by hand so that it heats evenly. One maker describes about 30 hours at around 60°C.
Roasting stabilizes the leaf, so a good nongxiang keeps and can improve over two to five years of careful storage, and some makers age their stock and re-roast it from time to time.
In the cup the liquor is golden amber to mahogany, and the flavor runs to roasted grain, caramel, brown sugar, toasted nuts and stone fruit, with a mineral warmth and a little orchid still showing through. It is rounder and more forgiving than the green style.
Use 6 g in a 100 ml gaiwan with water at 98°C, rinse once and pour the first infusion off at about 30 seconds, adding ten seconds a round; in a mug, 3 g in 240 ml at 98°C for three minutes.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 76/100 |
| Acidity | 24/100 |
| Bitterness | 32/100 |
| Body | 72/100 |
| Aroma | 94/100 |
These values are comparative editorial positions within our own catalog, calibrated so entries can be ranked against each other. They are not laboratory measurements.
How much caffeine is in Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong?
One serving, 8 oz cup (240ml), contains approximately 40 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong?
Target 98°C (208°F).
How long should Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong be extracted?
Timing: 30 seconds for the first infusion, plus about 10 seconds each round. Method: Gaiwan or Mug. Ratio: 6g per 100ml water (gaiwan). Grind or leaf format: Tightly Rolled, Charcoal-Roasted.
Why does my Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong taste bitter?
In gongfu, bitterness comes from pours that run too long or from too little leaf for the vessel. Keep the early infusions short, pour the tea off the leaf completely every time, and fill the gaiwan or pot generously; an under-filled vessel tastes thin and tannic rather than gentle.
What does nongxiang mean?
Nongxiang means strong fragrance. It is the name of the traditional style of Tieguanyin, more oxidized and roasted over charcoal, as opposed to qingxiang, light fragrance, the modern green style from the 1990s.
Can roasted Tieguanyin be aged?
Yes. Roasting stabilizes the leaf, and good nongxiang Tieguanyin keeps for years if it stays dry, airtight and away from strong smells. Some makers age their tea for several years and re-roast it from time to time.
How is roasted Tieguanyin different from the green kind?
It is oxidized more, 30 to 50 percent against 15 to 25 percent for the modern style, and finished with a long roast. The leaf is darker, the liquor amber, and the flavor runs to roasted grain, caramel and stone fruit instead of fresh orchid and cream.
Who should avoid Traditional Roasted Tieguanyin Oolong?
Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you. This information is educational and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a cardiac or gastrointestinal condition, or taking prescription medication, discuss caffeine and botanical intake with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes.
What people say
Plain Porcelain Gaiwan, 110 ml
In this recipe: Gaiwan or small clay pot, 100–150 ml
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