2018 Autumn Aged Traditional Style Tie Guan Yin

Harvested between October 5 and October 10, 2018, this Aged Traditional Style Tie Guan Yin has been stored in Anxi for six years, resulting in a tea of exceptional depth and complexity. Autumn Tie Guan Yin, known for its heightened floral aroma and smooth texture, benefits from the crisp mountain air and sunny days of the season, which concentrate the aromatic compounds in the leaves. Grown at 800–1000 meters in Gande Town, Anxi County, the tea thrives in nutrient-rich soil with a red-yellow loam surface and a porous subsoil of weathered rock, providing excellent drainage and support for deep root systems.

To create the Traditional Style, the leaves undergo a higher level of oxidation than their Zheng Wei counterparts, giving the tea a more robust flavor and a richer aroma. Following many painstaking steps, the leaves are carefully withered under the sun, tossed and rested to encourage oxidation, and then tightly curled during rolling. A meticulous longan charcoal roast is performed multiple times to deepen the tea’s complexity and prepare it for aging.\n\nDuring its six-year aging period, the tea was stored in Anxi to allow the flavors to mature and harmonize. The aging process softens the roasted notes, enhancing the tea’s smoothness and enriching its profile with layered, earthy sweetness. This careful transformation results in a tea that is both bold and refined, perfect for those who appreciate aged oolongs.

The dry leaves are dark brown with a slight sheen, exuding an aroma of aged wood, dried plums, and gentle smokiness. When steeped, the tea reveals a deep amber liquor. Its flavor is smooth and multi-layered, featuring notes of roasted nuts and dried fruits. Each infusion offers a velvety texture and a lingering sweetness, making this tea a testament to the artistry and patience of Anxi’s tea tradition.

Tie Guan Yin tea came into being around 1725 in Anxi County, with the Hong Xin Wai Wei Tao (Hong Xin Guan Yin) cultivar being its original and pure breed. This cultivar is revered for its distinctive lingering taste and smooth texture. However, its cultivation and processing demand exceptional skill, as the plant is highly sensitive to its environment, and the multi-step crafting requires precision at every stage.

The tea garden is managed using traditional ecological farming methods, ensuring that the plants grow in harmony with their environment. The tea trees are left untrimmed, allowing them to grow naturally alongside other plants, fostering biodiversity and minimizing pests through natural ecological balances. No herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or toxic pesticides are used, ensuring the leaves remain pure and nutrient-rich, reflecting the pristine conditions of their high-altitude origins.