On our spring trip to China, we were lucky enough to meet Master Zhang, a native of Anxi and lifetime Tieguanyin farmer. In mid-April, the very earliest harvests were just being finished. We sat in Master Zhang’s family home and drank this tea just three days after he finished it. The early spring Tieguanyin from Master Zhang’s 1000+ meter terraced mountain tea fields in Daping, Anxi has a fresh vibrant quality unlike any Tieguanyin we have tried before.
While most Tieguanyin is simply floral, this spring harvest tastes almost wild, with complex notes of pine, sweetgrass, mineral, and a crisp apple texture. The body of this tea is as creamy as can be, full and thick with vanilla notes. The creamy body lingers on the palate in the aftertaste like saffron.
The floral elements of this Tieguanyin are bright and sunny like daffodil and marigold. They seem to blossom on the palate, leaving behind caramel sweetness. Sipping this tea is uniquely refreshing and quenching, a masterful embodiment of this unique, early spring harvest, picked a full three weeks before the majority of the crop.
Master Zhang’s tea fields stretch across the side of a mountain that is almost always covered in mist. It is so high up that the day we visited, it was actually in a cloud. The spring water feeding the tea is pristine, crystal clear and sweet as sugar. We picked leaves right off of Mr. Zhang’s tea plants and ate them fresh, revealing the sweet, pure chlorophyl-packed nature of his tea. Master Zhang and all the farmers in his hillside in Daping are committed to fully organic farming techniques. The fresh flavor of the tea shows off their hard work.
Love this one!
I’ve yet to find the all-star TGY. Among the rolled oolongs I’ve had TGY is always a nice steady companion, never something mind-blowing or really unique. Tastes and smells about what I’ve come to expect good rolled oolongs to be like. I really like TGY and find that it fills out a stable middle-ground in the spectrum of oolong flavors. Nothing wrong with balance. Though on the other hand I have probably only had 3 or 4 kinds of it, so there may be those out there that are really different than what I’ve come to expect.
@Lion Have you tried the Master Grade TGY from Yezi tea? It’s the only one I’ve had that I would say is better than this one, at least in my limited experience. Even then, it only just edges this one out.
My favorite one might have to be the Top Grade TGY from Tao Tea Leaf, you both should try it!! I highly recommend it!! Also the Autumn Jade TGY from WP is pretty amazing too!
Christopher, I have tried both the High Grade and Master Grade TGY from Yezi. I sampled them both on the same day and what turned out peculiar is that I liked the High Grade better. It is my go-to TGY currently and the one I keep in stock here at home. The Master Grade seemed smoother, more buttery, more “round”, but was more mellow and ultimately less intriguing to me. The High Grade has this really wonderful unmistakable note of camphor (or something like holiday spices) in the scent and it is so relaxing to me. It’s the most interesting TGY I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying, but I also find it a bit on the mellow side. I’m not looking for a TGY to be overly flavorful or potent, but it just seems a little soft-edged in comparison to some of my favorite rolled oolongs.
As far as those go, my current favorite is Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong from Eco-Cha. It’s a trip through the mountains. I wish I had some of it, but sadly I ran out quite some time ago and haven’t been able to afford more just yet.