Wuyi Jin Guan Yin
A Tie Guan Yin and Huang Dan cross grown in Wuyi and processed as a rock tea rather than in the Anxi style. It carries Tie Guan Yin’s floral character on a plant robust enough to take charcoal roasting, which is why it has spread quickly.
Character
Floral like an Anxi tea and mineral like a Wuyi one, which is exactly what a cross between the two traditions should taste like.
- Flavour
- Floral, Roasted, Mineral
- Aroma
- Orchid, Caramelised
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- orchid, caramel, mineral
- Aftertaste
- Floral and sweet over a mineral base.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Wuyi Mountains
- Cultivar
- Jin Guan Yin
- Oxidation
- Partially oxidised
- Roast
- Medium
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Oxidation → Kill-green (fixation) → Strip rolling → Drying → Charcoal roasting
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–7 g/100 ml · 98–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 90–95 °C · 2 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Zheng Yan yancha
A modern Wuyi cultivar, then core-zone material. The mineral yan yun is what the second has and the first does not.
- Qi Lan
Two lesser-known Wuyi cultivars, both floral in a category dominated by roast. Both are frequently better value than the famous four.
- Huang Guan Yin
Sibling crosses of Tie Guan Yin and Huang Dan, planted widely in Wuyi. Huang Guan Yin is the more forward and perfumed of the two.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Shui Jin Gui
Shares 7 descriptors with Wuyi Jin Guan Yin: floral, roasted, mineral, full bodied, smooth, caramelised and orchid.
- Ban Tian Yao
Shares 5 descriptors with Wuyi Jin Guan Yin: floral, roasted, mineral, smooth and orchid.
- Da Hong Pao
Shares 5 descriptors with Wuyi Jin Guan Yin: roasted, mineral, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Wuyi rock tea (yancha)
Shares 5 descriptors with Wuyi Jin Guan Yin: roasted, mineral, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Alishan oolong
Shares 4 descriptors with Wuyi Jin Guan Yin: floral, full bodied, smooth and orchid.
Journeys featuring this tea
- Understanding roast — Someone who likes oolong and cannot tell whether they are tasting the leaf or the fire.