It's All About Tea — oolong

Today, Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea, also known as the Iron Goddess of Mercy or the Iron Bodhisattva of Mercy, is among the top ten teas of China. It is prevalent in both Taiwan and China, although the processing methods vary quite significantly.

For sure, when entering a tea shop in these countries, you are bound to see Tie Guan Yin on the menu. Even in the West, many cafes list Iron Goddess as one of their tea options. Production styles vary heavily. While in Taiwan, Tie Guan Yin is known for its dark, heavily roasted taste, in China, Anxi Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea producers tend to stick to a light, floral roast. (Read more)

One of the things that makes Wuyi Rock Tea different from other oolongs is the roasting process it undergoes. This process is not only one step, but a few distinguished steps.

When yancha is only in the first stages of processing, it's still quite vegetal and floral, much like a green tea. Only at the end of processing will it gain the characteristic taste we all love. (Read more)

Similarly, with Cha Qi, as many gongfu-ers as exist, you may hear many definitions of Yan Yun.

In Chinese, Yan means rock, which is also where the name Yan Cha comes from – Rock Tea.

Yun, on the other hand, is much more abstract and is more of a feeling, or a knowing, than it is anything of the physical realm. (Read more)

Rock tea, also known as Yancha (yan meaning rock, cha meaning tea), is an oolong teas that come from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province, China.

Tea from this region is the most expensive in the world, with Da Hong Pao topping world records for some of the most expensive tea ever sold. (Read more)

It is true that Taiwanese tea culture is rapidly changing to suit the economy and the environments of the new generation. However, we remain grateful that we are still able to sit down and enjoy a long, peaceful gong fu cha tea ceremony with some of Taiwan’s finest Alishan Oolong. The serene environment of Taiwan’s tallest, foggy mountain remains unchanged. While sipping our tea, we acknowledge the hundreds of years long journey that tea went through, as well as the hard work of the tea farmers and their dedication to quality and tradition. (Read more)