Heritage Tie Luo Han, 2011

Meaning "Iron Warrior Monk", Tie Luo Han's name pays tribute to a class of Buddhist monks who attained enlightenment of the mind through meditation and strength of the body through martial arts. It’s said that in ancient China, the highest grades of this heirloom tea were tended by these reclusive Buddhist monks on the misty slopes of the Wuyi mountains.

Tea connoisseurs consider the Tie Luo Han cultivar to be one of the four famous Wuyi teas, and tea historians believe that it is one of the earliest cultivated Wuyi varietal.

Our Heritage Tie Luo Han was harvested mid-May 2011 from tea trees that boast thick robust trunks and branches, from which sprout hardy leaves with the dark green color of raw iron. Once harvested, the leaves are withered, bruised and pan roasted by hand. The final series of firing is done over charcoal, a process that requires a careful sort of the leaves to ensure consistency and then expert management of firing temperatures. We call this method “heritage roast” to distinguish this traditional roasting method from more widely used convection roasting.

Amongst Wuyi oolongs, we find Tie Luo Han to be most representative of traditional Wuyi Yan Chas. Initial infusions of the tea release intense notes of caramel and burnt sugar, but that intensity soon gives way to a presence that is strikingly similar to cocoa powder with a hint of fruit, spice, sandalwood and caramel.