Tie Guanyin 鐵觀音

Grown in Fujian, this tea has fine, dark leaves and a concentrated taste that remains long in the mouth. Often referred to as the tea of poets, it offers a full body and in its first steeping has light spice and stone fruit notes. Upon second steeping, its flavors mature and fully open up to provide a subtle, yet wonderful flowery aroma with an unexpectedly delicate flavor that lingers on the palate.

This tea is best for the afternoon, accompanied by a book. It is steeped at 3 grams per 250ml of 95-100 degrees Celsius for about 3 minutes for the first steeping. For its second steeping, after the water has cooled down to about 90 degrees Celsius, it is best to steep it for 8 minutes.