Iron Goddess of Mercy
By the second steep, the liquor had deepened to amber while the leaves opened wider still.
The Leaf That Opens Slowly
From Anxi to Nantou
Iron Goddess of Mercy also known as Tieguanyin.
Takes its name from Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion. The tea style originated in Anxi County in China’s Fujian Province, then traveled across the Taiwan Strait, where tea growers developed their own expressions of the leaf.
The tea in this cup comes from Mingjian Village in Nantou County, within Taiwan’s central tea-growing country. Tea has been cultivated in the Mingjian area since the Qing Dynasty, and the region remains deeply connected to Taiwan’s oolong tradition.
Rishi’s Iron Goddess of Mercy is crafted in spring and winter by a fourth-generation artisan oolong teamaker. Its leaves are tightly rolled, then roasted to develop the smooth, warming character Rishi describes through notes of roasted chestnut and dried apricot.
This is therefore not simply an old tea preserved unchanged. It is a tradition carried from one landscape into another…rooted in history, reshaped by place, and still opening.
Warm Steep
Warm water wakes the leaves gradually.
The first cup is light and floral, with the green freshness of an orchard after rain. Later steepings become rounder and softer. Notes of orchid, sweet grass, cream, and stone fruit may appear, not as separate flavors, but as impressions passing through.
This is a tea worth steeping more than once. The same leaves continue to open, and the cup changes with them.
In the morning sun, hot water loosens the tightly rolled leaves, revealing the full shape held quietly inside.
To brew
1 teaspoon of tea per 8 ounces of water
Water at approximately 190°F
Steep for 2–3 minutes
Re-steep the leaves several times, adding a little more time with each infusion
Before water, the leaves rest in small, tightly curled bundles, holding their shape, fragrance, and story close.
Side by side in the refrigerator, the two infusions gather color at their own pace, one glowing green-gold, the other deepening toward amber.
The cold brew is softer than the warm cup. Its floral character becomes delicate and refreshing, while its greener notes feel crisp and clean.
Any natural creaminess lingers gently rather than rising with the steam.
To cold brew
2 teaspoons of tea per 16 ounces of cold water
Refrigerate for 8–12 hours
Strain and pour over ice, if desired
Taste before adding anything; this tea carries its own subtle sweetness
The first cold steep disappeared quickly - light, refreshing, and so easy to drink that another pitcher was already underway.
What Changed?
Warm, Iron Goddess of Mercy feels expressive. Its fragrance rises before the cup reaches the lips, and each steep reveals another layer.
Cold, it becomes quieter. The flavors settle closer together. What was floral becomes cooling; what was creamy becomes almost silky.
Neither preparation tells the whole story.
Together, they remind us that transformation does not always require force. Sometimes it needs warmth. Sometimes it needs time. And sometimes the most beautiful opening happens slowly, where no one is watching.
At Frelinghuysen Arboretum, a single ripple moved outward across water that had seemed still.
A Small Practice
Before drinking, look at one of the dry leaves.
Notice how tightly it has been folded.
Then look again after the steep.
Hold the opened leaf in your hand and consider:
What within me may not be closed…
only waiting for the right conditions to unfold?
