When I first researched into Iron Goddess tea, I was surprised to know that it can be either green and floral (as per these Jade Oolongs) or aged and roasted.

Later, I was even more surprised to learn that a roasted Iron Goddess tea can be damned good!

This style is known as Chenxiang, which means "Old Fragrance". "Old" refers to the aging process. For example, the AA grade above has aged for 3 years, and the AAA grade 5 years.

When buying an aged and roasted oolong, there are a couple of things you should be aware of.

As a rule of thumb, you should pay less than a freshly harvested tea for the same grade. This is because aged oolongs are leftover from the first year.

(You have to be careful, some tea merchants charge more money for aged tea)

For Shen's tea garden, aged oolongs offer greater value of money.

He sells out the lower grades in the first year. Only the higher grades are left to mature, so you get higher grade for the same price.

According to Chinese Medicine Theory, lightly oxidized tea is "cooling". The roasting process adds "fire", making the tea more balanced. The aging process tempers the fire, making the tea more rounded and harmonious.

The warming nature of the tea makes it a perfect winter beverage.

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