Iron Goddess of Mercy (Tie Guanyin)

didn’t enjoy this tea. bland, bitter, and loses its “flavor” after the second infusion.

I definitely have enjoyed this tea. It really has a delicious, bold flavor that stands out. I agree with Mercuryhime though in that the first two infusions are the best, even if that is not typical for oolong.

Awesome toasty flavor. I can’t stop drinking this stuff. I think I’m going to get 6 or so full infusions from these leaves.

The raw tea has a dry aroma, somewhat of grain and fruit.
Brewed, the tea is a golden color with an aroma that is roasty, perhaps of toasted nuts.

First Steeping: Moderate flavor, with floral notes and a toasty nuttiness. Almost no astringency.
Second Steeping – Same temp 5 minutes: Very similar to first steeping. No astringency.
Third Steeping – Same temp 8 minutes: A bit milder than the last steeping. Three is probably all that can be had out of this tea.

I really like this tea though I don’t get the floral notes others detect. To me, it smells like dried ripe fruit, tastes like roasted grains, and has an underlying sweetness that’s hard to describe. I make it in a gaiwan and use quite a bit of leaf. I use enough tea to the gaiwan will be almost full once they unfurl. I start with a 15 sec. infusion (after washing the tea) and add 15 more seconds to each subsequent infusion. This tea takes multiple infusions very well and fully develops by the 3rd infusion.

Another big plus for me is that I can get this at my local tea merchant for a reasonable price (actually cheaper than buying it directly from Rishi’s website), so, when the mood strikes, I don’t have to wait a few days to get it, I can just drive a few blocks and restock.

This has become my favorite tea. The color, scent, and taste are all fantastic!

Reddish greenish amber. Substantial toasted barley notes. Distinctive and different than the Adagio Ti Kuan Yi. Nice. Brisk, round and satisfying palate. Solid.

The package says the finish is reminiscent of baked grain and dates. Hmmm.

It does have rather more toastiness to the dry leaf aroma than I expected from a greener oolong, and yeah, it’s a little grain like. Like toasted bread.

Gaiwain. 195F, rinse, 15 seconds plus 5 for each additional steep.

The tea has a hint of toasted rice in the aroma but mostly the smell is reassuringly floral and slightly buttery, which is more like what I expected. The tea is golden yellow, a sort of medium hue.

And there, in the aroma of the last steep (I found this interesting enough to go through 6), it is. Dates! Otherwise not a lot of change from steep to steep, but the consistency is also reassuring.

It’s a little different from other tieguanyins. I get the feeling it may be less green than some others. Though it did an amazing job of unrolling in the gaiwan. It easily doubled in volume and the wet leaves smelled sweeter to me than the usual “wet leaf” smell.

I liked this more than I expected to. I think of Rishi as a serviceable brand that is consistently good but not necessarily spectacular except for a few outliers like the chai. This is one of those outliers.

This is the first tie guan yin I’m trying. Used a gaiwan.

I was very excited to taste the baked goods quality to this tea. It tasted like a spice cookie to me early on, although I can see how that may be vanilla or apricot instead. I by no means have a refined Oolong palate.

Later on it gets a more vegetal taste and some astringency. Pretty good especially for something I can buy in bulk at a grocery store! Part of me wonders if ordering directly from Rishi would be more fresh. Not that freshness was a problem.

My first loose leaf oolong at home. Very nice. Rich and grassy. Bright. Sweet. Nutty.