Tieguanyin is a type of Oolong Tea, a semi-fermented tea that lies between Green Tea and Black Tea. Among all Chinese teas, Tieguanyin has the most complex manufacturing process. Different processing methods produce three distinct forms of Tieguanyin: fresh fragrance, strong fragrance, and aged fragrance.

The making of Tieguanyin involves many intricate steps.

The superior quality of Tieguanyin comes from traditional, unique, and sophisticated production techniques, which involve numerous processes.

Picking. To ensure the perfect appearance of Tieguanyin, picking techniques are especially meticulous: using the “tiger mouth to the core” method, pickers manually harvest mature shoots with 2-3 leaves. The following “five don'ts” must be observed during picking: do not break the leaves, do not fold the leaf surfaces, do not crush the leaf tips, do not bring single leaves, and do not bring fish leaves or old stems. Master Wu Shifu, a master of Tieguanyin production in Anxi, particularly reminds us that after picking, fresh leaves should not be stored for long periods in bags or baskets but should be promptly placed in a cool place and spread out to prevent damage from wind and sun exposure, preserving their freshness.

The second life of the tea leaves is bestowed by the farmers and tea makers. Sun-drying, air-drying, shaking, stir-frying, rolling, wrapping, and baking… under Master Wu Shifu's precise control of the “degree” of each step in the tea-making process, the tea is reborn.

Sun-drying. Utilizing solar heat, the moisture in fresh leaves is evaporated, promoting fermentation and eliminating the grassy aroma. Generally, sun-drying should be done until the leaves lose their luster, appear darker green, the leaf tips droop, the stems bend rather than remain straight, and the leaves have some elasticity when squeezed. After sun-drying, the fresh leaves should be moved indoors to air-dry further, cooling them down and allowing the water content within the stems and leaves to redistribute, returning them nearly to their pre-sun-dried state. The appropriate degree of air-drying is when the stems are green and full of water, and the leaf surface is fresh but without excess moisture.

Shaking is crucial to the making process. Fresh leaves are shaken in a shaker, causing the leaves to collide and damage the cells along the edges, accelerating oxidation. After the first shaking, the fresh leaves need to be spread out and left undisturbed for a period before the second shaking. Shaking and resting are alternated, causing a series of biochemical changes as the leaves transition between movement and stillness. How can one determine the appropriate degree of shaking? First, feel the leaves to see if they are soft; second, observe if the “green leaves with red borders” have formed; third, smell to check if the grassy scent has dissipated and floral aromas have emerged.

Stir-frying, also known as killing the green. Using high temperatures, the activity of enzymes in the fresh leaves is destroyed, fixing the quality and promoting the release of aromatic compounds. The key to stir-frying Tieguanyin lies in “appropriate high temperature, moderate quantity, even stirring, mainly covered frying, supplemented by uncovered frying, and quick and short duration.” Following stir-frying, the process continues with: initial rolling – initial baking – initial wrapping – re-baking – re-wrapping – final baking – raw tea.

Rolling. By kneading and pressing, tea juice is extracted, and the leaves are shaped into curls.

Wrapping. This tightens and solidifies the granules of Tieguanyin, while also further damaging the cell walls, accelerating non-enzymatic oxidation, and giving the tea its sand-green, glossy appearance.

Baking, a drying operation in tea production, serves to inhibit enzymatic oxidation, evaporate moisture, soften the leaves, and eliminate bitterness, contributing to a mellow flavor.

Different Processing Techniques for Three “National Standard” Tieguanyin Varieties

On April 26th this year, the National Standards Commission released the standard for aged fragrance Tieguanyin. The national standard for aged fragrance Tieguanyin became the third product standard following the fresh fragrance and strong fragrance varieties. Aged fragrance Tieguanyin is now the third type of Tieguanyin with a national standard. As a result, there is a triad of fresh fragrance, strong fragrance, and aged fragrance Tieguanyin competing in the market. How do these three differ?

According to relevant officials from the Agriculture and Tea Fruit Bureau of Anxi County, different processing techniques create differences in their appearance and internal qualities. Fresh fragrance Tieguanyin can serve as the raw material for both strong fragrance and aged fragrance Tieguanyin. During the process from raw tea to finished tea, strong fragrance Tieguanyin uses baking and other techniques, while aged fragrance Tieguanyin uses “baking + storage (for over five years)” and other techniques.

Based on the “national standards,” the processing techniques for fresh fragrance, strong fragrance, and aged fragrance Tieguanyin are respectively:

Fresh fragrance Tieguanyin: Fresh leaf picking → Sun-drying → Air-drying → Shaking → Killing the green (stir-frying) → Rolling → Wrapping → Baking

Strong fragrance Tieguanyin: Raw tea → Inspection → Sorting → Allocation → Sifting → Wind sorting → Picking → Blending → Baking → Cooling → Uniform stacking → Picking impurities → Packaging → Finished tea

Aged fragrance Tieguanyin: Raw tea → Stem removal → Sifting → Blending → Baking → Storage (over five years) → Finished tea

Relevant officials from the Agriculture and Tea Fruit Bureau of Anxi County remind us that we must adhere to the “national standards” and cannot distinguish fresh fragrance, strong fragrance, and aged fragrance Tieguanyin based on age or aroma alone.