{"product_id":"anxi-tie-guan-yin-iron-goddess-of-mercy-anxi-oolong-96g","title":"Anxi Tie Guan Yin Iron Goddess of Mercy · Anxi Oolong 96g","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe tea that made Fujian oolong famous worldwide, and the only Chinese tea named after a bodhisattva. Anxi has been making it since the 1720s, and the local benchmark hasn't changed: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e七泡有余香 — \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003estill fragrant after seven infusions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnxi county, Quanzhou, Fujian. High interior hills, red soil, heavy fog. The authentic cultivar is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e红心歪尾桃 — \"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ered heart, crooked-tail peach\" — a slow, low-yielding bush that most gardens have quietly replaced with easier plants. It's worth asking whether yours is the real\u003c\/span\u003e one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe craft:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSemi-oxidised and then rolled, epeatedly, under cloth, into tight jade beads. Anxi people call the shape \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e蜻蜓头, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003edragonfly head. The rolling is what holds the aroma in; drop the beads in hot water and they unfurl into whole intact leaves, which is the easiest quality check any buyer can run at home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat you're listening for is (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e观音韵) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eyin yun, the Guanyin rhyme. Wuyi has rock rhyme; Anxi has this. A cool orchid note that sits in the throat and returns between sips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTaste:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePale gold, bright and clean. Orchid and lilac on the nose, unmistakable. In the cup: creamy texture, fresh green sweetness, a milky roundness across the tongue, and a long cooling floral finish. Zero bitterness when brewed right. Among the most immediately likeable teas China makes, this is the one to hand someone who thinks they don't like tea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrewing:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e8g per 110ml gaiwan. The beads expand enormously; they need the room and the ratio.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWater at 95–100°C. Flash to wake and open them, then quick steeps  \/ 6s \/ 8s \/ 12s, extending. 7–10 infusions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSmell the empty cup after you drink. Anxi drinkers judge the tea on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e杯底香, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe fragrance left in the bottom, and this is where Tie Guan Yin shows off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrandpa: 2g per 250ml, 95°C, 2 minutes. Workable, but you lose the aroma progression that's the whole point.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSpecs: Anxi, Quanzhou, Fujian · Semi-oxidised oolong (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e乌龙茶) · \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStore sealed, cool, dark, away from odours.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"8 Lions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46380002672776,"sku":"5","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0747\/0052\/1608\/files\/236.jpg?v=1786620022","url":"https:\/\/eightlions.myshopify.com\/products\/anxi-tie-guan-yin-iron-goddess-of-mercy-anxi-oolong-96g","provider":"8 Lions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}