Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea

Thank you so much to Angel for the sample of this tea! I am really impressed by the generosity and social networking/tech savvy of Teavivre. But I won’t let that color my rating and review too much – my first exposure to them was some tea I purchased myself. :)

Anyway – Tie Guan Yin. A quintessential oolong! This example is just lovely, with a balanced flavor and nuanced character. I drank this all day, steeped and re-steeped all kinds of ways, to get a better understanding of it. This tea holds up exceptionally well to multiple steeps, making it a great value.

Early steeps at low temperatures yield a pale celadon-spring green liquor with a dainty aroma, best taken by itself, with no additives or food on the side to muddy the flavor! I got a sweet, floral impression – echoes of orchid and jasmine-like flavors – laid over a pleasantly vegetal green taste that has a pleasantly full-bodied mouthfeel.

Subsequent steeps at higher temperatures and longer brew-times result in a golden colored liquid and a more robust taste. Though the first steeps I prefer to take alone, the next few pair well with a variety of foods, making this a great choice for a tea taken before/during/after a meal or snack. The floral sweetness mostly fades out, and the vegetal green notes, accented with a touch of that cool “mineral” flavor, deepen. The mouthfeel and aftertaste are exactly what I want out of an oolong: it feels somehow round and buttery-smooth. I think this is a great choice if you’d like a green oolong in your cupboard.

Thanks to Angel from TeaVivre for the great samples!

This was a very nice tea, similar in style to some silk oolongs I’ve tried in the past. There is a nice green tea-style “vegetal” flavour – it’s got that fresh grassy oolong taste which is very smooth and enjoyable. There is some light sweetness as well that blends nicely together for a very rounded taste – very straightforwardly good. This is a light tea which you could sip very casually and have a nice calm day. Very tasty and a great addition to the tea collection!

I’m very new to Oolong tea so I am not sure what to expect when I try each variety. Teavivre’s Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong tea is fascinating by any distinction. I was struggling to put the wonderful flavor into words until I read the information about this tea on Teavivre’s web site.

Teavivre explains that this tea is from “an area with a mix of mountains, forests, and small creeks.” Bingo! That is also a great description of the flavors inherent in this tea.

The taste of nature is abundant in this selection. It is earthy, fresh, and woodsy. The flavor is not overpowering but just right. I steeped it for the recommended maximum time of three minutes and it was perfect for my tastebuds with no bitterness. It has a light golden color that underestimates the power of its flavor.

This tea would be great to sip all day. Teavivre says that it can typically be infused seven times. I probably won’t be putting that claim to the test today, but excuse me while I prepare infusion #2 for another four cups.

Had a little sample of this leftover, so I decided to brew it up since my buddy was coming over and LOVES oolong. I don’t know why, but when it brewed, it had hints of jasmine wafting from the cup….I might have kept it too close to the other teas I received in my sampler.

Anyways, this cup was fine. I’m not the biggest fan of oolongs as they taste too roasted to me, but it wasn’t bad. It brewed perfectly…no bitterness, no harshness, just strong flavors. I’d say this tasted really full-bodied. The predominant flavor I experienced was of roasted chestnuts. Not a bad cup, but just not my preference. I wouldn’t drink it again as I don’t like oolongs, but I will still rate it high because I do believe it would make an excellent cup if you appreciate Tie Guan Yin.

Sipdown! 813. Thanks to Azzrian for sending this one to me… in April 2012. Haha. I’m terrible…

Anyhow! I don’t think this tea has suffered; it was in a vacuum-sealed gold foil packet, and tastes great. I used the whole packet for a 10oz cup of tea, and I think it’s pretty much perfect. To me, it’s classic example of a tie guan yin; floral but with that turpentiney smell/flavour (this is meant positively), lightly sweet, lingering oolong flavour. I’ve come to conclude that TGYs are not my favourite type of oolong… I prefer ones that taste a bit less “green”, but every now and then, one of these isn’t too bad!

I’ve been having some teas teavivre sent me most of the day. Earlier it was the Golden Tips, but now I’m on my 2nd or 3rd infusion of this one. I love oolong. The first brew had a little too much sugar, so it was a tad overpowering, but I added more tea to balance it out. It is a nice green floral taste, without being perfumey. I also think this is a very forgiving tea, as I got distracted a few times and let it steep longer than intended. Even as it has cooled off, it is lovely. I love how big the leaves get after they’ve been brewed a few times. The tea is a beautiful golden yellow tinged with green. They’re simply huge! Praise to the Oolong Goddess for this tea!

Very, very good. Sweet and slightly floral, with each steep becoming more and more floral. I prefer Teavivre’s Milk Oolong, but this really is quite good.

A fantastic oolong provided to me as a sample from Teavivre.

The leaves as well has the tea carry a distinct and powerful floral aroma which is very pleasing and relaxing.

The taste is primarily floral with hints of a vegetal-ness, and the tea carries a smooth honey-like mouthfeel. One of the most noticeable aspects of this tea however is how long the flavor lingers on the palate.

I look forward to how this tea may change for the second brewing!

(This sample was generously provide to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.)
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet and vegetal aroma.
Wet Leaf: The vegetal aroma is more dominant but the sweet aroma is still in the background.
Liquor: Has a pale yellowish color nice brightness and good clarity.
Taste: This tea has a smooth crisp and clean floral and vegetal flavor with some sweetness. The broth seemed rich in texture in the mouth too.
My Score/ Over All Opinion: 91, I enjoyed this tea is was clean crisp and refreshing. This tea is lighter oxidized so has more of the vegetal aspect. This tea reminded me slightly of mellow monks top leaf with some subtle differences.