On November 29, 2022, China's application for the project “Traditional Chinese Tea Processing Skills and Related Customs” was reviewed and approved by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, and it was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
In order to enhance public awareness of traditional tea processing skills and related customs, raise consciousness about the importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage related to tea, increase national pride, and boost cultural confidence, we will be sharing with you 44 items of intangible cultural heritage (including 39 traditional tea processing skills and 5 folk-related intangible cultural heritages).
In previous issues, we covered Black Tea. In this issue, we continue with an introduction to oolong tea – Tieguanyin –
Tieguanyin is a traditional Chinese tea, belonging to the oolong category, and is one of China's top ten famous teas. It originates from Xiping Town, Anxi County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. “Tieguanyin” is both the name of the tea and the name of the tea plant variety. Tieguanyin is a semi-fermented tea.
The definition of Tieguanyin includes tea products made from the leaves, buds, and tender shoots of the Tieguanyin tea plant through a unique process involving withering, shaking, pan-firing, rolling (ball rolling), and drying. Its finished tea can be divided into fragrant and full-bodied types.
Processing Technology
The production technique of Tieguanyin consists of picking, preliminary processing, and finishing. Tieguanyin can be harvested four to five times a year, including spring, summer, summer heat, autumn, and winter teas. The “two-handed tiger mouth core-picking method” is used for harvesting.
Preliminary processing involves ten steps: sun-withering, air-drying, shaking, pan-firing, rolling, initial drying, ball rolling, re-drying, re-ball rolling, and final drying. Finishing includes six steps: sieving, sorting, blending, baking, cooling, and packaging.
Fragrant Tieguanyin is dried at a low temperature over a gentle fire, typically around 70 degrees Celsius during the final drying stage of preliminary processing. Full-bodied Tieguanyin is made through specific processes such as baking, which is performed at a higher temperature of 110 to 120 degrees Celsius after the fragrant type has been processed.
Throughout the entire tea-making process, the tea master skillfully controls the key points in each step. After sun-withering, air-drying, and shaking, the tea develops the unique phenomenon of “green leaves with red edges” and distinctive color, aroma, and taste. Then, high-temperature pan-firing stops the enzymatic activity, followed by rolling and repeated ball rolling and baking, which form the natural “Orchid fragrance” and special “Guanyin charm.”
△ Sun-withering
△ Air-drying
△ Shaking
△ Pan-firing
△ Ball rolling
△ Final drying
Quality Characteristics
Fragrant Tieguanyin has a sand-green, compact appearance, heavy like Iron, clean and uniform; its taste is fresh and pure, with a pronounced Guanyin charm; the tea liquor is golden and bright; the infused leaves are thick, soft, and uniform. Full-bodied Tieguanyin has a dark, lustrous appearance, a rich flavor, orange-yellow tea liquor, and obvious red edges on the infused leaves.
△ Dry tea (fragrant type)
△ Tea liquor (fragrant type)
△ Infused leaves (fragrant type)
△ Dry tea (full-bodied type)
△ Tea liquor (full-bodied type)
△ Infused leaves (full-bodied type)
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