Tieguanyin is a type of Oolong tea, semi-fermented and positioned between green tea and black tea. Among all Chinese teas, Tieguanyin has the most intricate production process. Depending on the processing techniques, it forms three types with distinct appearances and qualities: light aroma, rich aroma, and aged aroma.

The production of Tieguanyin requires multiple complex steps.

The formation of Tieguanyin's premium quality stems from its traditional, unique, and exquisite craftsmanship, involving numerous procedures.

Plucking. To ensure the perfect shape of Tieguanyin, the plucking technique is particularly meticulous: using the "tiger's mouth facing the core," manually picking 2–3 mature new leaves; adhering to the "five no's" principle—no broken leaves, no folded leaves, no crushed leaf tips, no single leaves, and no fish leaves or old stems. Wu Shifu, a master of Tieguanyin tea-making, emphasizes: after plucking, fresh leaves should not be left in bags or baskets for too long; they must be promptly placed in a shaded area and loosened to prevent wind or sun damage, which could compromise freshness.

The tea's second life is bestowed by tea farmers and craftsmen. Sun-withering, cooling, shaking, pan-firing, rolling, wrapping, baking... Under Wu Shifu's precise control of the "degree" in tea-making, the leaves are reborn.

Sun-withering. Utilizing solar heat to evaporate moisture from the fresh leaves, promoting fermentation and eliminating grassy odors. The ideal level of sun-withering is when the leaves lose their gloss, turn darker green, droop at the tips, and the stems bend without being straight, feeling slightly elastic when pinched. After sun-withering, the leaves are moved indoors for cooling, further spreading them to dissipate heat and redistribute moisture, restoring a near pre-sun-withered state. The optimal cooling stage is when stems remain green and hydrated, and leaf surfaces are fresh but dry.

Shaking is key to fermentation. The leaves are tumbled in a shaker, causing them to collide and bruise the edges, accelerating oxidation. After the first shake, the leaves are spread out to rest before the second shake. Alternating shaking and cooling triggers a series of biochemical changes. How to determine the right level of shaking? First, feel the leaves for softness; second, check for "green leaves with red edges"; third, smell—grassiness should fade, and floral notes should emerge.

Pan-firing, also called kill-green. High heat deactivates enzymes, fixes quality, and releases aromatic compounds. The essentials of Tieguanyin pan-firing are "appropriate high temperature, moderate quantity, even stirring, mainly covered frying with occasional open frying, quick and short duration." Post pan-firing steps include: initial rolling → first baking → initial wrapping → re-baking → re-wrapping → full drying → crude tea.

Rolling. Through twisting and pressing, tea juice is squeezed out, and the leaves are curled into shape.

Wrapping. Tightens Tieguanyin into dense, heavy pellets while further rubbing leaf cells to accelerate non-enzymatic oxidation, giving the tea a glossy green-black sheen.

Baking, the drying phase, halts enzymatic oxidation, evaporates moisture, softens leaves, and mellows flavors by reducing bitterness.

Three "National Standard" Tieguanyin Types with Different Processes

On April 26, the national standard for aged-aroma Tieguanyin was released, making it the third standardized product after light-aroma and rich-aroma types. Aged-aroma Tieguanyin now joins the market alongside the other two, forming a trio. So, how are they distinguished?

According to the Anxi County Agriculture and Tea Fruit Bureau, different processing techniques result in varying appearances and qualities. Light-aroma Tieguanyin serves as the base for rich-aroma and aged-aroma types. From crude to finished tea, rich-aroma undergoes baking, while aged-aroma involves "baking + aging (over five years)."

Per the "national standard," the processes for the three types are:

Light-aroma Tieguanyin: Plucking → sun-withering → cooling → shaking → kill-green (pan-firing) → rolling → wrapping → baking.

Rich-aroma Tieguanyin: Crude tea → inspection → sorting → processing → sieving → winnowing → trimming → blending → baking → cooling → mixing → impurity removal → packaging → finished tea.

Aged-aroma Tieguanyin: Crude tea → stem removal → sieving → blending → baking → aging (over five years) → finished tea.

The Anxi County Agriculture and Tea Fruit Bureau reminds that adherence to the "national standard" is mandatory; distinguishing the three types by arbitrary criteria like age or aroma is not permissible.