Oriental or "Eastern" Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren), also known as Bai Hao Oolong, is a special heavily oxidized oolong created with the help of an insect bite! This natural ecosystem Oriental Beauty is harvested during summer from young leaves and tips just bitten by a small cricket or tea jassid Cicadellidae: Jacobiasca formosana (Paoli). When the leaves are bit oxidation starts around the bite. The plant also sends defenses against the plague of jassids in the form of sugars that the jassids find unappealing and this sweetness contributes further to the sweet honey notes characteristic of this tea. So you see... this tea is special even before we talk about who produced it. In this case, this tea was picked and processed by Master Gu Cheng Gan, a fourth generation Oriental Beauty farmer who not only makes award-winning Oriental Beauty but who also works hard to preserve and promote Hakka culture. We have yet to taste more amazing Oriental Beauty than that made by Master Gu!
Origin: Beipu, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Harvest: Summer, 2023
Color of infusion: Amber
Aroma: Honey, floral, lemon candies
Flavor: honey, roses, leaf juice, exotic wood
Temperature: 90-95º c
Steeping time: 30sec, 45sec; 1min; 1,5min...
