After 6 years of searching we have finally found a Tie Luo Han worthy of its name (and price tag). This is an immaculate Zhengyan Iron Monk. Blackcurrant taffy candy, sherbet, mangosteen, gardenia, varnish, new notebooks, snow and watermelon.
Tie Luo Han is one of the Si Da Ming Cong or 'Four Great Famous Bushes' growing in Wuyi mountains.
These ancient and famed tea bush cultivars are always revered amongst the Yan Cha (Rock Oolong) community but are produced in smaller quantities due to their lower yield compared with other more prevalent varieties like Rou Gui and Shui Xian.
Their fame and their relative scarcity means that the prices of teas like Tie Luo Han tend to be pretty hefty.
But, when you find a great batch of tea like this on it is more than worth the price.
It took us 6 years of searching (our last batch sold out in 2020). We have sampled Tie Luo Han every year and always felt that they lacked that something special that, to my taste, is essential for Tie Luo Han.
I actually thought I was going crazy. After tasting so many Tie Luo Han Oolongs I began to think that maybe I had imagined the spleandour and specific character of our previous batches. Maybe it was all mythology?
But then this beauty arrived from the core region of Zhengyan and one sip sent me back into Tie Luo Han bliss.
This Iron Monk comes from 50 year old bushes. Pairing the wonder of the core terroir (more on the specific area below) with the age of these plants has created a master Tie Luo han.
Just like all great teas, it is difficult to put into words what makes this batch unique without drifting into abstraction.
All Yan Cha should have a warm and comforting base, a feast of aromatics and a mineral mouthfeel.
But, a pinnacle Tie Luo Han also needs to have a distinct metallic brightness, a funky fruitiness which blends with a varnish pungency, an ozone-like freshness and leave you with a sweet clarity.
The aromatics on the dry leaves are warm and comforting - dark caramel, roasted coffee and chocolate biscuits.
As soon as you wake the tea up with a rinse they burst with that distinctuive Tie Luo Han aroma - fruit flavoured wood varnish and metallic ozone.
In the mouth, the tea has incredible mineral depth without any harshness - it is smooth and clean with a roast that is beautifully integrated to enhance the brightness of the tea but calm any aggression.
The taste is bursting with fruits - blackcurrant, mangosteen, green raisins, grapes and watermelon. But they are all captured in resin, varnish or hard candies to make them sticky and almost medicinal.
Non-food notes of fresh paper, worked steel and snow add a ringing clarity.
The aftertaste is elegant, clean and sweet with muscat and watermelon.
The elegance of a tea like this is remarkable. It is light, airy, quiet and enduring despite its aromatic pungency and mineral richness.
Infusions just roll on with continued evolution You can keep drinking this tea for the whole day until it becomes the sweetest, mineralised water.
Hopefully it won't take us that long to find another prized batch but I am reserving 500g of this Iron Monk to be certain to have tea for the next few years.
The Specific Location
This Tie Luo Han comes from Xi Zhen Yan (Xizhen Rock).
Xizhen Rock is one of the ninety-nine famous rocks of Wuyishan, located in the core Zhengyan area. Adjacent to the Lesser Jiuxi River, it faces Jingu Rock and is backed by Xian Diaotai (Fairy Fishing Terrace). It is a representative site combining the core production area of Wuyi Rock Tea with cultural relics.
Location: North of the Fourth Bend of the Jiuxi River, right side of the Lesser Jiuxi River, about 2 kilometers from Wuyi Palace, in the core area of the scenic area.
Form: An extension of the tail of Xian Diaotai, a domed columnar rock formation, about 20 meters high, with steep cliffs resembling an ancient court tablet. The rock's foot overlooks the stream, reflecting the surrounding green water and red mountains.
Environment: The rock formation is surrounded by dense vegetation, mostly ancient fir trees and native vegetation. Streams meander around it, and mist often rises, creating a typical "rocky bone and fragrant flower" microclimate.
Soil characteristics: weathered volcanic rock soil, permeable, rich in potassium and manganese, with moderate acidity (pH 4.5–5.5), and abundant in minerals. The tea grown in this soil has a strong rocky flavor, sharp aroma, mellow taste, and long-lasting sweet aftertaste.
Origin Story for Tie Luo Han
A warrior monk with bronze skin discovered Tie Luo Han growing in a cave called Ghost Cave in Wuyi. Since the monk had such tanned skin the tea was called Iron Monk or Iron Arhat or Iron Warrior Monk.
