Tie Luo Han
Tie Luo Han ('iron arhat') is one of the four famous Wuyi bushes (si da ming cong) and, by many accounts, the most historically documented of them. It is a robust, deeply roasted single-cultivar yancha known for a dark amber liquor and a distinctive herbal, almost medicinal undertone beneath the usual rock minerality. As with all Wuyi rock tea, growing zone (zhengyan versus outer) and roast craft are the variables that decide quality.
Dark, twisted strip-style leaf with a deep Wuyi roast color. Tie Luo Han runs robust and roasted: expect a thick body, dark amber liquor, mineral rock rhyme and a characteristic herbal or medicinal note that sets it apart from the sweeter ming cong. The roast should read as deep and integrated, not scorched, and freshly fired leaf needs one to three months of rest to show its real character rather than raw char. Yan yun (lingering mineral aftertaste) should be clearly present and marks genuine zhengyan origin. As a named single cultivar it is less blended than Da Hong Pao, but the same zone-based price ladder applies.
Wuyishan, northern Fujian, with the standard zhengyan core-zone premium over banyan and outer-zone leaf. Tie Luo Han is one of the oldest and most-documented of the four ming cong cultivars, native to the Wuyi rock-tea area. Standard yancha processing with a typically medium-to-heavy charcoal roast, which suits the cultivar's robust, herbal character.
Gongfu: 6-8 g per 100 ml in a gaiwan or Yixing clay, 95-100°C, a brief rinse, 15-30 seconds for the first steep and ascending; 6-8 infusions. Western: 4 g per 200 ml, 95-100°C, 2-3 minutes.
€20-50 (about $22-54) per 100 g for banyan and outer-zone Tie Luo Han, with named zhengyan core-zone material reaching €60-120 (about $65-130) per 100 g.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Shui Jin Gui
A fellow member of the four famous ming cong; Shui Jin Gui is light and floral, Tie Luo Han herbal and robust.
Bai Ji Guan
The fourth ming cong and the pale outlier; Bai Ji Guan is lightly roasted and delicate, Tie Luo Han dark and heavy.
Da Hong Pao
The most famous of the four bushes; DHP is usually a blend, Tie Luo Han a single named cultivar with its own herbal signature.
Wuyi Yancha (Rock)
The parent style page covering the rock-tea GI geography and the quality logic shared by every yancha.
Tie Luo Han is often described as the oldest of the four famous Wuyi bushes, with references reaching back further than the others. Its name, 'iron arhat,' nods to the Buddhist luohan (enlightened disciples), and the tea's dark, herbal heft fits the imposing image.