Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess Oolong
铁观音 (Tiě Guānyīn)
Jade-green balls that open into orchid and a creamy sweetness: Anxi's Iron Goddess of Mercy.
Tieguanyin, the Iron Goddess of Mercy, is the best-known oolong of Anxi County in Fujian. Modern lots are lightly oxidized and rolled into jade-green balls, giving a golden-green cup with an orchid scent and a sweet, lingering finish.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 40 mg in one serving (6 oz cup (180ml)), a concentration of 22.2 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 Balls |
| Water temperature | 203°F / 95°C |
| Target brew time | 20 seconds for the first infusion, plus about 10 seconds each round |
| Serving used for caffeine | 6 oz cup (180ml) — see the mug or teapot version below |
What you need
- 6 g loose-leaf oolong
- 100 g filtered water at 95°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 95°C and pour off immediately. This wakes the leaf; do not drink it.
- 0:40First infusion — pour off after 20 seconds, decanting completely.
- 1:25Second infusion, 25 seconds.
- 2:15Third infusion, 30 seconds. From here add about 10 seconds each round.
- 3:10Keep going until the liquor pales — good leaf gives seven to ten 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 180 ml cup — the serving the caffeine figure describes.
- Leaf
- 2.5 g
- Water
- 180 ml
- Temperature
- 203°F / 95°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 2.5 g of leaf.
- 0:30Pour 180 g of water at 95°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.
Lightly oxidized oolong turns bitter if it is steeped too long. The same leaf gives three to five infusions, each 30 to 60 seconds longer.
What it may be good for
Caffeine, in numbers
We list about 40 mg for a 6 oz (180 ml) cup, the mug version of this tea made with about 2.5 g of leaf. In a gongfu session the cups are smaller and the leaf is reused, and the figure moves with how much leaf you use, the water temperature and how long you steep.
Check the style
Tieguanyin comes in two styles. The modern qingxiang is green, floral and lightly oxidized; the traditional nongxiang is darker, roasted and nuttier. Buy the style you want and brew it to match: the green style a little cooler, the roasted one nearer the boil.
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.
Tieguanyin, the Iron Goddess of Mercy, is the best-known oolong of Anxi County in Fujian. Modern lots are lightly oxidized and rolled into jade-green balls, giving a golden-green cup with an orchid scent and a sweet, lingering finish. Brewed gongfu style at 95°C.
Origin & Story
A spoonful of hard green balls goes into the gaiwan, and with the first rinse they swell into whole, twisted leaves and the room fills with the smell of orchids. That is Tieguanyin, the Iron Goddess of Mercy, the tea of Anxi County in southern Fujian.
Two legends explain the name, and neither has been verified. In one, a poor farmer named Wei Yin, who tended a run-down temple of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, was led in a dream to a cave where a tea tree grew, cultivated it and named the tea for her. In the other, a scholar named Wang Shirang found the plant and offered it to the Qianlong Emperor, who named it Tieguanyin; the tellings say either for the rock where it grew or for the way the tightly rolled leaves sink like iron.
Tieguanyin is a cultivar as well as a tea, grown above all in Anxi, where the better villages, such as Xiping and Gande, sit above 600 meters. It is also made in Taiwan, in the Muzha hills of Taipei, where the style is more heavily roasted. Spring leaf, picked in April and May, is the finest, autumn leaf in September and October a close second, and summer leaf is cheaper and less complex.
The leaf is withered in sun and shade, tossed in rounds that bruise its edges, heated to stop the oxidation, rolled into balls and dried. Today's Anxi style, called qingxiang, light fragrance, is oxidized only 15 to 25 percent and barely roasted, which keeps it bright green, floral and creamy. It dates only from the 1990s; before that the tea was oxidized further and roasted much darker.
In the cup it is golden-green, with orchid and gardenia, a clean sweetness and a silky texture, and the aftertaste stays floral. A good lot is said to hold its fragrance through seven brews, and the second and third infusions are often the best.
Put 6 g in a 100 ml gaiwan with water at 95°C, rinse for a few seconds and pour the first infusion off at about 20 seconds, adding ten seconds a round; in a mug, 2.5 g in 180 ml at 95°C for three minutes.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 80/100 |
| Acidity | 20/100 |
| Bitterness | 25/100 |
| Body | 70/100 |
| Aroma | 98/100 |
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 Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess Oolong?
One serving, 6 oz cup (180ml), contains approximately 40 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess Oolong?
Target 95°C (203°F).
How long should Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess Oolong be extracted?
Timing: 20 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 Balls.
Why does my Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess 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 Tieguanyin mean?
Tieguanyin means Iron Guanyin, or Iron Goddess of Mercy; Guanyin is the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Two legends explain the name, one with a farmer's dream and one with a scholar and the Qianlong Emperor, and neither has been verified.
Is Tieguanyin green tea?
No. It is an oolong, a partly oxidized tea, but the modern Anxi style is oxidized so lightly, 15 to 25 percent, and rolled into such green balls that it is often mistaken for green tea. The traditional style is roasted and brown.
How many times can I steep Tieguanyin?
A good lot gives seven or more infusions in a gaiwan, starting at about 20 seconds and adding about ten seconds each round. In a mug, expect three to five infusions, adding 30 to 60 seconds each time.
Who should avoid Anxi Tieguanyin Iron Goddess 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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