Ti Kuan Yin Monkey Tea

Did you know?

This is the ultimate Oolong tea. This Monkey-Picked Ti Kuan Yin (other names: Monkey-Picked Tie Guan Yin, Iron Goddess of Mercy) tea is made by carefully picked-up spring tea leaves in the Ti Kuan Yin tea trees which were planted in over 2600 feet above see level. The way of making this tea followed the traditional method. It’s roasted at high temperatures, which gives the tea more fermentation and creates unique fragrance named “Guan Yin Yun” and an orchid-like taste.

The legend of Monkey-Picked Ti Kuan Yin

The origin of Monkey-Picked Ti Kuan Yin oolong tea dates to the early 18th century, when the Tie Guan Yin varietal of tea plant was discovered in Anxi county of Fujian province. Legend has it that monkeys were trained by monks to pick the choicest leaves from wild tea trees growing in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province.

This monkey-picked tea was presented as tribute to Emperor Qian Long in 1741 and, for many years, was enjoyed exclusively by the Imperial Court. Over time, as the tea became more accessible to the general population, it provided inspiration for poets, artists, scholars and philosophers.

Ti Kuan Yin means Iron Goddess or Iron Bodhisattva; the leaves are dark like iron yet the taste is light and ethereal, like the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin. Another Chinese legend says that the Goddess of Mercy appeared in a dream to a local farmer and told him to look in the cave behind her temple. There he found a single tea shoot, which he planted and cultivated. From that time, the tea has been known as Iron Goddess.

Today, monkey-picked simply means the highest quality Ti Kuan Yin tea available. Picked during the spring and fall from higher elevations than other Tie Guan Yin grades, the monkey-picked grade is entirely handmade by small family artisans with great care.