Oriental Beauty “Dong Fang Mei Ren”

Dong Fang Mei Ren ‘Oriental Beauty’ 東方美人
A handmade oolong thought to have been named by Queen Elizabeth II! This tea is only harvested in the middle of summer and only about 40–50% of the leaves can be used. Therefore, this is a particular rare tea! After being harvested from young leaves and tips in the summer, the tea is heavily oxidized (around 70%). Unlike other oolongs, which typically make use of the top four or five leaves and the single bud, Oriental Beauty uses only the bud and two leaves. The long multi-coloured leaves give a golden infusion with a clean, slightly sweet flavour reminiscent of honey melon. A truly unique oolong!
 
  50g bag £12.90
100g bag £25.80
200g bag £46.44 ( price includes a 10% discount)

Origin: Taiwan
Location/Garden: Nan Tou 南投
Type of Oolong: heavily oxidised
Other Names: Eastern Beauty, White-tip Oolong, Dong Fang Mei Ren, Bug Bitten Tea

Preparation:
Use filtered and freshly boiled water 95°C
Allow 1 teaspoon of tea per 200ml cup +1 for the pot. Infuse for 4min.

Bug Bitten Tea? What makes Oriental Beauty even more unique is that it is grown without the use of pesticides to encourage the tea jassid, to nibble on the leaves, stems, and buds. These little insects suck the phloem juices of the tea stems, leaves, and buds. This leads to the plant’s defensive production of monoterpene diol and hotrienol which give the tea its unique flavor. The buds then turn white along the edges which gives the tea its alternate name, white-tip oolong. The insect bites start the oxidation of the leaves and tips and add a sweet note to the tea.