Anxi Chuantong Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea - Heavy Charcoal Roast

A traditionally made Tie Guan Yin oolong, heavy charcoal-roasted by the same producer behind our light roast Tie Guan Yin lot. Where that version highlights Tie Guan Yin's lingering floral side, this heavy roast draws out a warmer character from the same Tie Guan Yin original cultivar, Hongxin Waiweitao.

The tea is hand-harvested from Nanshan mountain in Xiping, at an altitude of 1,000 meters, where the garden is tended using natural farming methods — with no chemical use and minimal intervention beyond harvesting and weeding. Behind this tea is Master Xie, who learned Tie Guan Yin making from his family in Xiping and has been making tea there for decades, while earning numerous awards in tea competitions.

To craft this tea, Master Xie uses the traditional Tie Guan Yin method known today as the Chuanthong style, where the leaves are picked young, just as the first leaf begins to open, then repeatedly shaken and rested in cycles, gradually building oxidation at room temperature to a medium level. The tea is then charcoal-roasted three separate times at high temperature — a process that demands care and experience to avoid over-roasting. Each round is followed by a resting period to give the leaves time to settle so the next roast can penetrate evenly and draw out richer aroma and flavour.

The result is a heavy roast Tieguanyin with a warm, settled aroma of toasted coconut flake, layered with floral and fragrant wood notes. The charcoal roast is well-handled, deep enough to draw out the tea's warmth while keeping it clear of any over-roasted notes. It pours an orange-amber liquor. On the palate, it opens with fruity notes of papaya and apricot jam, blending sweetness with a light tartness. After the swallow, floral notes rise and linger, joined by a light toasty note and a subtle minerality. The texture is smooth, juicy, and enveloping, carrying a long finish.