Oriental Beauty (Don Feng Mei Ren) Oolong

Tea Garden: Shu Family Estate
Farming Methods: Natural farming techniques, hand picked, low pesticide
Production: 70-80% oxidised, non-roasted. Lightly curled strips

Notes: This exotic “Champagne of Tea” is probably the most fascinating of all the Oolong teas. Its rich taste & sweet, smooth honey aroma gives it a unique flavor, not unlike a fine mellow Darjeeling. Its processing is characterised by heavy oxidation (70% to 80%) and heavy withering (13% to 25%). The oxidation process is initiated before the leaves are plucked by nature’s assistance in the form of small insects biting the tender leaves. The Jacobiasca Formosana is a small grasshopper-like creature that eats the leaves, causing the leaf to change its chemical composition. Oxidation develops on the bite marks, resulting in a great sweetness. As a result, many leaves wither, so that the harvest yields less (40-50%) and therefore drives the price up.

Also known as: Formosa Oolong, Champagne Oolong, Bai Hao Oolong, White tip Oolong, Eastern Beauty, Pong Fong Cha

See this article in T Ching for more information on this amazing tea.