Tie Luo Han - 2011 Spring Wu Yi Oolong Tea

Tea type
Oolong Tea
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Edit tea info Last updated by Ellen
Average preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 30 sec 6 oz / 177 ml

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  • “I decided to try out this sample tea this morning. I am a fan of Tie Lou Hans, I’ve had a few and they usually do not disappoint. I did a quick rinse of the leaves in my yixing and used around 180F...” Read full tasting note
    94

From Norbu Tea

Varietal: Tie Luo Han
Harvest: Spring, 2011
Growing Region: Wuyi Shan Scenic Area, Fujian Province
10 gram Sample Available

Overview:
Tie Luo Han is one of the four most famous varietals (四大名樅, Si Da Ming Cong) from the great category of oolong known as “Wu Yi Yan Cha,” or Wu Yi Rock Teas. It was hand harvested and processed in the Spring season of 2011 inside the Wuyi Shan National Scenic area at an altitude of approximately 800 meters above sea level. The roast was performed traditionally over charcoal for a total of approximately 24 hours.

Tie Luo Han (铁罗汉) translates as “Iron Arhat” in English. Luohan/Arhat is a term used in the many schools of Buddhism to denote a saint or a “sage” who has achieved enlightenment and is ready to escape the cycle of Samsara and enter the state of Nirvana. “Tie Luohan” is sometimes translated as “Iron Warrior Monk,” which most likely refers to the monk/spiritual practitioner doing battle with his/her desires to overcome his/her worldly attachments to attain enlightenment, rather than as an actual “war” warrior monk.

Appearance, Flavor & Aroma:
This tea’s dry leaves are the long and twisting shape and dark greenish brown color characteristic of traditionally roasted Wu Yi Yan Cha. The roast is fantastic: not too dark, not too light, which allows the distinctive mineral sweetness of the Tie Luo Han cultivar to shine through beautifully throughout a session with this tea, even in early infusions when the roasted elements are most prominent in the flavor. The crystal clear, thick and satisfying infusion showcases the unique mineral sweetness of the Tie Luo Han cultivar along with hints of dried fruit and subtle florals, which build into an awesome bittersweet aftertaste that lingers wonderfully in the mouth and the back of the throat over a series of infusions.

Steeping Guideline:
We strongly suggest Gong Fu style preparation with this tea. Rather than sticking to a specific weight of tea leaves to water volume measure, we recommend simply filling your gaiwan or Yixing style teapot 1/3 to 1/2 full of dry tea leaves, use water just under a boil and a series of short steepings. If you prefer to use a weight to volume measure, try starting with 8 grams of leaf in a 150 ml gaiwan or teapot.

For Western-style steeping, start with 2-3 grams of leaf (it’s hard to give a volume measure in teaspoons because of the large leaf style) per cup. Use water under a boil (195 degrees F), and steep for 3-5 minutes. Adjust the amount of leaf, steeping time, and water temperature used according to your preference.

I also highly recommend either using aroma cups with this tea or at least remembering to smell the lid of the gaiwan or your empty drinking cup. The aroma that lingers on the surface of the ceramic surface is amazing and well worth savoring.

General steeping guidelines for the different categories of Chinese tea and a short downloadable “how to” video on Gong Fu style tea preparation are available on our Chinese Tea Steeping Guide page.

Volume Discount: 10% off 100g, 15% off 250g or more.
Discount reflected in displayed price

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2 Tasting Notes

94
2816 tasting notes

I decided to try out this sample tea this morning. I am a fan of Tie Lou Hans, I’ve had a few and they usually do not disappoint.

I did a quick rinse of the leaves in my yixing and used around 180F water.

Steep #1: The tea liquor is an amber color and leaves smell very roasted after steeping. I found this cup to contain notes of plum, caramel and mineral with a sweet aftertaste. yummy! I gave this cup to the BF, who wanted one.

Steep #2 – Tea liquor has a delightful aroma of stone fruit. Second cup is similar to the first but I am getting a slight charcoal flavor in the mix. It is very pleasant with a lingering sweetness. Tastes very clean and soft, somehow.

Steep #3 – Similar to #2, sweetness is retreating a slight and mineral is coming forward more. Still quite delicious and going strong. I am noticing a toasted bread quality as well as a few raisin notes. Unlike the other tie lou han I have, this seems to be quite good in terms of resteep ability (note: I ended up steeping it 7 times).

Interesting for those of interested in Buddhism:
“Tie Luo Han (铁罗汉) translates as “Iron Arhat” in English. Luohan/Arhat is a term used in the many schools of Buddhism to denote a saint or a “sage” who has achieved enlightenment and is ready to escape the cycle of Samsara and enter the state of Nirvana. “Tie Luohan” is sometimes translated as “Iron Warrior Monk,” which most likely refers to the monk/spiritual practitioner doing battle with his/her desires to overcome his/her worldly attachments to attain enlightenment, rather than as an actual “war” warrior monk".

Anyway, this is a great example of a wuyi tea. If I was to have one everyday wuyi around, I don’t know if it would be this or a Shui Xian but maybe I can have them all. :-P

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 0 min, 30 sec
teaddict

The nice thing about Wuyi teas is that they are quite durable. You don’t have to worry about finishing them all off before the next season.

Azzrian

As long as tea is viewed as a worldly attachment I don’t think I will be reaching Iron Warrior phase!

TeaBrat

@teaddict, yes that is very true. I have one on the way that has a shelf life of 5 years!
@Azzrain – me either!

ScottTeaMan

Thanks for the info on Buddhism. I am always interested in leaning about different religions, spirituality, history and cultures. I love a good resteeper too, so I’ll have to keep this one in mind.

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