This premium roast Iron Goddess of Mercy (Tieguanyin) is crafted from the Cui Yu, or “Jade,” tea bush cultivar. The handpicked leaves are harvested from an ecologically managed old-growth garden in Nantou, Taiwan—one we have worked with for more than two decades.

The tea undergoes an artisan process of medium oxidation, ball-roll shaping, and moderate roasting to create the base tea. After several weeks of resting, an old-school baking regimen is applied, a process that takes several more weeks to complete.

This final baking draws out a “caramelized” sweetness and creamy aroma through the Maillard reaction—the same transformation that occurs when baking bread, roasting sweet potatoes, or roasting coffee. Oolong artisans produce baked teas ranging from blonde, lightly roasted styles to medium and deep roasts. This tea is deeply baked in the Nong Xiang style.