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China Ti Kuan Yin, Monkey Picked Oolong, 1/4lb.

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Like the famously smoky Lapsang Souchong, Oolong tea comes from mist-enshrouded Wuyi Mountains in the northwestern corner of China's Fujian Province (north of Guangdong [Canton] Province), whose greatest tourist draw besides its mountains is its coast line on the Taiwan Straits, and where tea has been grown at least since the Sung Dynasty (AD 960 - 1279).

In terms of production, Oolong tea takes a middle position between the fully fermented black teas (Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon, Kenya, Lapsang Souchong, etc.) and the unfermented green teas (Sencha, Maccha, Gyokuro, Hougicha/Hojicha, Gunpowder Green), in that it is part-fermented or "brown" tea. Its long, dark leaves' fermentation is stopped when they are about 30% red and 70% green, after which they are rubbed to promote their aroma and texture and then dried over charcoal.

Ti Quan (Kuan) Yin Oolong takes its name from the Goddess of Mercy (Quan Yin), whose statues can often be found in front of Buddhist temples. Quan Yin is a bodhisattva, i.e. a person who has earned the right to leave this world of misery and enter nirvana, but who has volunteered to stay on earth and assist others in their quest for enlightenment. Legend has it that in a village whose temple was adorned by an iron ("ti") statue of the goddess, one night Quan Yin appeared in a local farmer's dream and guided him to a cave behind the temple. There, she told him, he would find a treasure he was to tend and share with others. The treasure he did find when he went to the cave the very next morning turned out to be a small tea plant, which he took home and nursed. When it had grown to its full size, its leaves produced this particularly aromatic tea with the delicate fragrance of fruits and spices and a rich, golden color. As he had been bidden by the goddess, the farmer shared it with his neighbors, and he also dedicated it to Quan Yin in grateful appreciation of her gift.

Goddess of Mercy Oolong makes for a great refreshment at any time of day and also goes well with meals. It can be enjoyed with or without milk (or cream), and its leaves will even yield a second cup when re-infused.