Based on years of personal experience drinking Tieguanyin and synthesizing views from online tea enthusiasts, the following five points are summarized.

1. Light Aroma Type:

This is a popular lightly fermented tea. "Clear soup, green water" is the most representative characteristic of Light Aroma Tieguanyin and is also a tea suited to market taste. This type emphasizes clear liquor, freshness, and the currently popular "wai sour" or "qing sour" notes are representative of this light aroma tea. The leaf appearance is excellent, emerald green, making it highly appreciable. The fragrance is immediately apparent, and the leaves look as fresh as when just picked. When brewed, it yields clear, green liquor without stems or foam, with high aroma and pure taste, very suitable for appreciation. Ideal for friends who prefer a light taste and enjoy observing the tea color. Light Aroma tea uses light fermentation requiring lighter firing, retaining more moisture in the leaves. The taste is light, suitable for daily brewing and appreciation, and is excellent for serving to many people.

Friendly reminder: Generally speaking, the fresher and greener the tea leaves, the more cooling their nature. Drinking too much daily can, from a medical perspective, harm the stomach and cause insomnia. I'm just sharing what I know; the choice is ultimately yours. Light Aroma Tieguanyin is not suitable for tea friends with minor stomach issues. The tea can generally be brewed 5-6 times. Only Guanyin Wang grade can be brewed over 7 times. Another important point: it needs refrigeration for better preservation.

2. Fresh Aroma Type:

This is a popular lightly fermented tea. Fresh Aroma tea emphasizes the fresh taste of the tea. The market's "tuo sour" and "fresh sour" notes represent this Fresh Aroma tea, generally not easily found on the market. The leaf appearance is excellent, emerald green, making it highly appreciable. One can immediately smell a fresh fragrance when holding the tea. It looks more vibrant in color compared to other teas. When brewed, it yields clear, green liquor without stems or foam, with high aroma and pure taste, very suitable for appreciation. The tea leaves are picked in summer. The fresh leaves are thicker, and after picking, stems are manually removed. The fresh leaves undergo a de-greening process preserved by air conditioning, giving a unique freshness. The finished product has medium-sized granules and a bright appearance. Suitable for friends who prefer a light, fresh, and fragrant taste and enjoy observing tea color.

Fresh Aroma tea uses light fermentation requiring lighter firing. The moisture in the leaves is reduced by air conditioning dehydration. The taste is fresh, fragrant, and light, suitable for daily brewing and appreciation. This tea is suitable for personal consumption and can also calm the mind. Fresh Aroma Tieguanyin is suitable for friends new to tea. The tea can generally be brewed 5-6 times. Only Guanyin Wang grade can be brewed over 7 times. This tea must be refrigerated for better preservation.

3. Rich Aroma Type:

This belongs to the traditional semi-fermented Anxi Tieguanyin tea, suitable for experienced tea drinkers because of its heavier taste. The leaf appearance shows some light black and slightly yellow leaves behind the green ones, meaning the color isn't the best, but the taste is the purest. Deep golden-yellow liquor is representative of Rich Aroma tea. This is also the traditional rich aroma tea I primarily recommend. Traditional Tieguanyin requires longer and heavier semi-fermentation. The brewed tea liquor color is also stronger, and the drinking sensation is mellow, thick, sweet, and refreshing—meaning pure.

Friendly reminder: Traditional rich aroma tea has a mellow thickness and possesses the medically mentioned benefits of warming the stomach, lowering blood pressure and lipids, and aiding weight loss. It is very suitable for friends with frequent social engagements, unreasonable diets, minor stomach issues, high blood pressure/lipids, or who feel overweight. I often drink traditional rich aroma tea myself, as well as aged tea. After traditional Tieguanyin is stored for a long time becoming aged tea, it undergoes further processing like re-roasting and charcoal baking, offering more in terms of taste and health benefits.

4. Charcoal-Baked Type:

This type involves further charcoal baking of traditional semi-fermented Anxi Tieguanyin tea for about 5-12 hours. It should belong to the category of good tea with traditional proper taste. The taste is more easily guaranteed, smooth, with a natural fire aroma. Traditional charcoal-baked rich aroma Anxi Tieguanyin is becoming increasingly popular in Anxi.

Charcoal-Baked tea has a special sweet aftertaste and a unique taste. After drinking, the throat feels particularly comfortable. It carries a strong fire aroma. A particularly important point is that after brewing, the tea liquor is deep yellow, completely different from the commonly seen clear, green liquor of Light Aroma Tieguanyin. Only experienced tea drinkers should choose this; generally, people new to tea are not accustomed to it. Aged Tieguanyin is also processed year by year with charcoal baking on this basis. Aged tea has certain curative effects on intestinal digestion and certain illnesses caused by diet, such as abdominal pain, bloating, internal heat, chest tightness, etc. This is a secret family recipe from my hometown! I have personally experienced it, and the effect is quite good!

5. Yun (Rhythmic) Aroma Type:

This is a newly promoted tea between light and rich aroma. More friends will accept the Yun Aroma type because, being between light and rich aroma, it offers more taste enjoyment. It has both the fragrance of the light aroma type and the pure, enduring taste of the rich aroma type. It possesses the quality that good tea must have. It enjoys the reputation of "Yun Aroma Drunk Concubine Tieguanyin, Tea Fragrance Fills the House Guanyin Wang"!