Tie Guan Yin classification information.

I'm not sure if you guys know about this or not, so sorry if I'm beating a dead horse by posting it.

I learned that Tie Guan Yin, like most tea, has many different types, categories, and grades. But, the 3 more common types of Tie Guan Yin are qing xiang, shu xiang, and ban shu xiang. Qing xiang can be described as the original (also most famous) flavor of TGY and if you are familar with Guan Yin Wang you know this flavor. It is fired and rolled in the normal way. Shu xiang is cooked on top of charcoal and has a slightly stronger flavor that can resemble flowers or wood. Ban shu xiang basically just means in between the first two categories and is a combination of flavors.

qing = clean and clear; original. shu = cooked. ban = half; ban shu = half cooked using the shu xiang method. xiang = a pleasant scent.

Anyone have more to add on this?

Reply to
Mydnight
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Reply to
Space Cowboy

I can't add to this directly. In the West you see TGY grading terms such as Phoenix#1, Imperial Gold, Supreme, Premium, Grade A,B,C. I could go to Chinatown and walk away with 50 different tins of TGY with no grading information. In my experience TGY ranges from light to heavy oxidation. I've bought greens in the first four categories and more oxidation in the Grade categories AKA restaurant tea. I came across a TGY description of three leaves and a bud on a rolled stem. It wasn't graded in any of the above categories and of course sold out. I'm currently drinking TGY from a commercial tin with whole rolled leaves that infused to a dark green. The restaurant versions of TGY remind me of a poor man's cooked puerh. Your description may appear on the commercial tins but I don't know the characters and haven't seen your transliteration. I didn't find out till last year I could buy TGY other than restaurant grade. Since then the greens have become one of my favorite teas. Sorry about the echo I hit the Google Post Message accidently.

Jim

Mydnight wrote:

Reply to
Space Cowboy

The grading system is different from what I mentioned above, sorry if I was a little unclear; these are just the 3 most common types of TYG. The actual grading system is a very complicated process that can go as far as what tree the leaf was picked from. To appreciate TYG fully, you must look at a few things:

  1. The color of the unbrewed leaf and the quality of how it was rolled.
  2. The smell after brewed.
  3. The leaf quality after brewed; are any of the leaves brown around the edges or have holes in them, etc?
  4. The taste.

I'm not sure how to tell the high grade from the mid grade yet, but I'm working on it.

Reply to
Mydnight

Those types are sometimes described by color ? That's the indication I get when I buy TGY.

that would be golden ?

Red ?

Orange ?

Kuri

Reply to
kuri

TGY is just a style of leaf. Every TGY I've tasted is different enough. The only thing consistent about TGY taste there is no consistency. I'm drinking a cheapo version maybe described with your 'shu(x?)iang' on the box and it is very pleasant and mild. The leaves are broken and dark. This box also has jia after shuiang. I've learned to look for that on boxes because whatever the tea it means 'very good'.

Jim

Mydnight wrote:

Reply to
Space Cowboy

Space snipped-for-privacy@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com3/21/05

11: snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com

I'm sinking into a deeper and deeper confusion. I thought that TGY was a varietal associated with Taiwan and with Anxi (sp?) County in Fujian, and that it could be processed in a variety of ways leading to different tastes, all under the general aegis of Oolong. I also thought that Long Jing was a varietal associated with East Lake and Lion Peak. Now, at least in discussions, there seems to be a proliferation of varietals and places of production for both these teas. I think somebody is having a good laugh at us, that's what I think.

Michael

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

Jim, when you say you look for "jia" is it spelled in English on the boxes or is it a Chinese character and if a character, I don't suppose you know a place on the web where I could see it? Thanks, learning more and more...

Melinda

Reply to
Melinda

I have been searching for an authentic information about types of Ti Guan Yin for a last couple of years, until now. I don't know any "Tea master" who can give me a ready made answer-:). I don't know if there are any classification of TGY. The highest grade of TGY was sold last year in TGY oolong competition- US$43,000 per pound. The price doesn't mean this TGY had some touch of heaven. It was a very good tea but the people who buy this tea, it is more then social statues rather then buy quality(I mean compare a Rolls Royce with Toyota Corolla). I wasn't so interested to learn about tea while I was visiting China last time but I talked with my friends(Chinese) and they gave me the above explanation about award winning tea.

I agree with Michael about the Taiwan and Anxi(Fujian) version of TGY but there is another TGY Oolong come from Guangdong province- Shantou Oolong. The recent information is- a lot of mainland Chinese producers are trying to follow Taiwanese Oolong processing after their success of Ali Shan, Nantou and Shan li shan Oolong in the market. I also got some curled Bai Hao Oolong which has lot of similarity with Taiwanese Bai Hao(Oriental beauty) Oolong, the difference is this Chinese Bai Hao Oolong leaves are curled(sort of gunpowder green). I think lot of things are going on in Oolong processing both in mainland and Taiwan island. I will blame some commercial vendors who add extra fancy, fancy, supreme, premium, special grade etc. etc. extra word with Ti Guan Yin.

Space Cowboy(Jim) many time talked about his super market tea adventure. Lot of his explanation make sense to me. TGY is a widely available tea but Michael- do you remember how many types of TGY we have tried from SRT and found only #37 was satisfactory? Remember we tried two of my TGY and one was excellent and other was very light. As far as I know those award winning mainland TGY Oolongs are mostly

30-40% oxidized. Yes, I agree some heavily roasted espresso Oolong are also good with nice caramel, sweet, fruity, complex flavore. Do you think any Chinese will know espresso Oolong? I don't think so. I think the best way to describe TGY is two types-

-Heavily roasted

-lightly roasted

I still don't have a straight forward answer rather then to share my limited knowledge about what I look from a good Ti Guan Yin:

Dry leaves: bright green with wonderful fresh aroma Brewed leaves: very dark green Liquor: clear, light shiny golden for lightly roasted / clear, golden for heavily roasted Taste: fruity, sweet, 100% smooth, peach aroma, sometimes with honey tone for lightly roasted/ heavily roasted has more complex taste, caramel flavor with considerable peach and honey tone, some can have slight roasty aroma. Aroma:deep, rich and very clear. Steeps: A good TGY both light and heavy version should minimum give

8-10 steeping.

I hope more people will add their though and tea knowledge about this interesting post. Mydnight, thank you for this thread. Aren't you in China now? What the local tea masters say?

Ripon Maputo, Mozambique

Reply to
Ripon

I was meaning the color of the leaves in their rolled state should have a fairly consistent dark/light green color.

This was the pinyin transcription from the Chiense characters of the words I used from above; it had nothing to do with color:

qing = clean and clear; original. shu = cooked. ban = half; ban shu = half cooked using the shu xiang method. xiang = a pleasant scent.

Reply to
Mydnight

Yes you are right, sir; well said.

Reply to
Mydnight

Few tea masters here, but more tea business guys. I have been able to locate one guy that has experience with starting tea plants from scratch and finishing them to production. The main idea he kept repeating was which tree the tea was picked from and how early in the season it was for that picking. The spring pick is always the best.

I am unsure how exactly they 'grade' the TGY explain such a high cost, but it has much to do with hui gan and xiang wei (the residual flavor and the scent). I'll find out more about exactly how the price the tea out later.

Reply to
Mydnight

Few tea masters here, but more tea business guys. I have been able to locate one guy that has experience with starting tea plants from scratch and finishing them to production. The main idea he kept repeating was which tree the tea was picked from and how early in the season it was for that picking. The spring pick is always the best.

I am unsure how exactly they 'grade' the TGY explain such a high cost, but it has much to do with hui gan and xiang wei (the residual flavor and the scent). I'll find out more about exactly how they price the tea out later.

Reply to
Mydnight

The site I used for Chinese is

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It helps to know a little about the method to the madness. This is the jia character (pinyin and character)
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on the TGY box. I started looking for this character from a previous discussion on the difference between a 'very good' and 'special' Xiaguan green tuocha.

Jim

Mel> > Space

snipped-for-privacy@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com3/21/05

Reply to
Space Cowboy

hi all,

ti kuan yin is a type of oolong which when brewed many times, each time comes with a unique taste. for good ti kuan yin, the more times it is brewed again, the stronger and more roasted the taste becomes.

hence such good ti kuan yin is what "mymidnight" refers to as "qing."

Reply to
law2255

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