Те Гуань Інь

Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) is a variety of Chinese oolong tea that originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province. The tea is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy Guanyin. Tieguanyin produced in different areas of Anxi has different gastronomic characteristics. Oolong is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea made from Camellia sinensis. Tieguanyin is one of the Ten Famous Chinese Teas.

According to aroma type, Tieguanyin can be divided into a light-scented and a strong-scented type. Recently, Anxi Tieguanyin is typically close to a green tea, with only a little oxidation. In the past, the tea was traditionally more heavily roasted. Muzha Tieguanyin is a traditional roasted oolong with a stronger taste. In Taiwan, a company brought the tea from Anxi County and developed Taiwan's own variation on the hills of the Muzha area near Taipei. In Taiwan, the name Tieguanyin is sometimes also used for oolong teas of other tea plant varieties. Summer Tieguanyin is harvested in summer and is considered lower quality. Xiping in Anxi is the home of the original Tieguanyin tea shrub.

Indole and (E)-nerolidol were the two volatile substances with the highest contents in Tieguanyin oolong teas given different roasting treatments. High roasting temperature lowers floral volatiles, namely β-ionone, jasmine and nerolidol, while nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as pyrroles and pyrazines increase. Roasting forms new volatile substances, most of them pyrazines, pyrroles and furans. These substances are produced in the Maillard reaction and caramelization of sugars, amino acids and pectins during roasting.

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