How to Choose Tie Guan Yin Tea, Iron Goddess of Mercy

Tie Guan Yin or Ti Kuan Yin tea is publicly known as the pearl of teas in China, honored as the king of Chinese teas.

There are five harvest seasons for Tie Guan Yin throughout a year, from spring, summer, mid-summer, autumn and winter. The autumn Tie Guan Yin tea is the best of refreshing aroma teas. Spring Tie Guan Yin is harvested around Start of Summer and has the best overall quality. Although the aroma of autumn tea is stronger than spring tea, the taste is not as complex as spring tea. Winter tea is ranked after, and two summer teas are considered lower-quality.

Jade Tie Guan Yin or lightly baked Tie Guan Yin, is a newer type of Tie Guan Yin developed in the late last century and has a light green jade color. It produces a very flowery aroma and taste. It is more similar to green tea than Oolong. Guanyin King or Guanyin Wang is the best of Jade Tieguanyin and Autumn Tieguanyin.

Tea plant is particular about the climate, environment and more. The less water containing in the soil and the air in the cool autumn climate provides the autumn Tie Guan Yin a great condition to yield the high fragrant tea leaves. Due to the difference of seasonal climate change and the difference of nutrition containing in the tea plant itself, the tea quality inevitably changes after fresh leaves being picked from the tea tree. The processed tea based on such prior condition, the quality is bound to be better.

The spring or the autumn Tie Guan Yin normally are the far better ones compare to winter and summer. They both have their own characteristics. If you prefer the aroma more than the taste, buy the autumn tea instead of spring tea which is basically costed more.

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