l visited the anxi mountains a few days a go and observed the entire process of how the tie guan yin teas are made, really interesting stuff. There are so many small familes processing this tea and then they rush it off to the market. I noticed that there are guys all over the fields spraying chemicals on the bushes to kill the bugs, which was quite an eye opener and as you drive a long there are tea leaves being withered on top of concrete buildings and people sitting around tables sorting the leaves and guys on motorbikes flying around the corners with teas on big bags. What a business
The best part was I was given at the one factory some aged tie guan ying , it looked dark, the leaves really krinkled and hardly a smell to it. Apparantely it is kept in porcelin pots and has to be fired evry year in a wok to keep the moisture out and maintain its quality. After tatsing it I was totally blown a way . This tea is really really nice. Crisp honey fired notes and a woody taste which is subtle and friendly and this tea just made brew after brew after brew and still had a dominant character. I asked for half a pound but they only gave a small sample in a tiny zip lok bag which is now safely in a sealed tin in my soitcase. did not know that aged oolong existed.. and thank you Yigo , for those who dont know ,Yigo contacted me through this forum and he lives in china ,and I called him when I arrived in china as promised and invited him to join me on this adventure and of course he dived at the opertunity and we had a very fruitful experience together.
Maurice