Are Anxi and Taiwan Tieguanyin the Same Coffee Variety Tree?

Anxi Tieguanyin and Taiwan Tieguanyin are the same tea variety, not a coffee variety tree. Tieguanyin originated in Anxi, Fujian, and was carried to Taiwan by immigrants in the 18th century. Phoenix Dancong, by contrast, comes from Phoenix Town, Guangdong, and uses a single-bush harvest that cannot easily be mass produced.

Phoenix Dancong is counted among China's four great oolong teas and needs more than twenty hours of withering, rolling, fermentation, and repeated roasting. Tieguanyin is China's most representative oolong. Both differ greatly from coffee picking and processing, which is why comparing them to a coffee variety tree does not hold up.

Phoenix Dancong and Tieguanyin both belong to China's four great oolong teas, yet their flavor characteristics and production processes are vastly different. Phoenix Dancong is produced in Phoenix Town, Guangdong, and is known for its complex and intricate procedures and its unique single-bush harvesting method, making mass production difficult. Tieguanyin, on the other hand, originated in Anxi, Fujian. As China's most representative oolong tea variety, its name derives from the Goddess of Mercy, and it was introduced to Taiwan by immigrants in the 18th century, forming two major production regions: Anxi and Taiwan. This article will compare the differences between these two oolong teas from multiple dimensions including origin, craftsmanship, flavor, and brewing methods, and answer the question of whether Anxi Tieguanyin and Taiwan Tieguanyin are the same variety. It will also include practical brewing suggestions from Front Street Coffee to help coffee enthusiasts understand the intricacies of the tea world across disciplines.

Phoenix Dancong oolong tea is produced in Phoenix Town, Guangdong Province, and is ranked alongside Tieguanyin, Wuyi Rock Tea, and Bergamot tea as one of China's four great oolong teas. This tea is renowned for its elaborate procedures — its raw material comes from the fresh leaves of a single tea tree, and its brewing method must be adjusted according to the changing seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, making it very difficult to produce in large quantities.

When made according to traditional standards, it can present the most ideal oolong tea quality, but it cannot be mass-produced, so today very few people follow the ancient methods completely to make Phoenix Dancong. In an era of continuous process improvement, Phoenix Dancong only requires selecting tea leaves from the same garden and picking them at the same time. Even so, under strict production standards, completing the making of Phoenix Dancong still requires more than twenty hours.

After picking, Phoenix Dancong undergoes a process of withering, rolling, fermentation, and repeated roasting that lasts up to twenty hours. Premium Phoenix Dancong is sweet on the palate with a rich, intense aroma.

The Tieguanyin tea tree variety is extremely well-suited for making oolong tea, and Tieguanyin oolong tea can be called China's most representative tea. Tieguanyin is also the name of China's Goddess of Mercy. It is said that three hundred years ago, when an infectious disease broke out in the Anxi region, Tieguanyin guided the sick to find a tea tree and taught them to drink water, thereby curing the illness. To express their gratitude, people named this tea after the goddess Tieguanyin.

People believe that Tieguanyin tea is beneficial to health, especially for the skin and digestive system, so it quickly spread throughout China and became the country's most representative tea. Tieguanyin was introduced to Taiwan by immigrants in the 18th century, so Taiwan also produces Tieguanyin oolong tea in addition to Anxi.

How to Brew Tieguanyin

90 to 95 degrees Celsius (194 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit) is the optimal water temperature for brewing Tieguanyin. It is best to use mountain spring or mineral water. Do not use purified or distilled water.

First, pour hot water into the teapot to preheat it, then discard the hot water. If the teapot is not preheated, the brewing water temperature will drop rapidly, thereby affecting the taste of the tea.

Add six grams of Tieguanyin and pour in 100 milliliters of hot water.

Cover with the lid and brew for two minutes.

Pour the tea into a cup and it is ready to drink.

Tieguanyin tea can be brewed three to six times, extending each subsequent steep by thirty seconds. You may also adjust the brewing time according to personal taste.

The Difference Between Tieguanyin and Green Tea

Anxi Tieguanyin is a lightly oxidized tea, while green tea is unoxidized. For beginners, it is easy to get confused when distinguishing between these two teas. Below are the differences between Tieguanyin and green tea, along with common questions.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.