Anxi, China…Further along the Road

Next stop, Anxi, the home of Tie Guan Yin…the famous Chinese rolled Oolong tea.

 Arriving from Wuyishan to the Anxi train station, we hired a couple motorcycle taxis to take us (and our increasingly heavy bags) straight to the “Tea Capital of China”, a section of the city set apart for tea vendors, traders, and buyers.

Upon arrival in the Tea Capital, tea vendors were busy with the last step of tea production…final sorting stems from the leaf. (We purchased some unfinished tea, so visit our shop in Middlebury to see the process!..or see below too)

At the main square, vendors showed off this year’s selections, as the Spring harvests were winding down. Of course, one must taste before buying.

The Tea Capital was fun, but we were ready to venture out into the hills, to see the conditions of the tea gardens.

After not convincing our motorcycle taxis to take us up into the mountains, we were fortunate to meet Millie, who connected us with a tea family she happened to know!

Venturing up into the hills in search of organic tea production…at the top of the mountain, we made a visit to a temple under renovation and expansion. It was incredible to us to see painters with their gaiwans and waterpots…an inspiration to historic restoration workers everywhere.

Returning down the hill, we spent hours tasting teas…deciding which to purchase for Stone Leaf.

Tie Guan Yin now available at Stone Leaf and online here!