Legendary Taiwanese Tea that Created a Sensation in Europe
The incredibly fruity and sweet flavor, which seems almost unbelievable as a natural aroma, pairs wonderfully with sweets. This tea is extremely popular among women and enhances a stylish tea time.
The flavor and aroma improve with storage, making it a valuable addition to any collection.
This tea gives multi-layered sweet floral-fruity notes, which tea connoisseurs call muscatel flavor—a natural fruity and honey-like aroma with a lingering sweetish taste.
In the past, Oriental Beauty was known as Formosa Tea in Europe. This tea was once extremely popular, and people enthusiastically sought it out. At that time, it was said that 15kg of Oriental Beauty was equivalent to the cost of a house in Taiwan. The reason people love this tea is its sweet fruity flavor. The secret behind this flavor is the tiny green leafhoppers that attack the tea leaves during summer. Tea leaves bitten by leafhoppers change color to yellow and produce an antibody that gives a fruity flavor. It is a very tedious job to select and pluck only the leaves attacked by leafhoppers. Not only must the tea garden be maintained without pesticides, but a great deal of good luck is also needed to attract this tiny insect.
History and Culture
Legend has it that a farmer left his tea garden unattended as he was too busy to look after it. His garden was badly attacked by a large number of green leafhoppers, and all the bitten tea leaves changed color to yellow. Nevertheless, he still processed the tea leaves as he could not afford to give up his tea. To his surprise, the tea produced from insect-bitten leaves had a very strong fruity flavor. Coincidentally, a European tea merchant noticed this tea, loved its quality, and named it Formosa Tea. It is believed that this is the prototype of Oriental Beauty. However, it is slightly different from the conventional Oriental Beauty. The processing method of Oriental Beauty has changed over the years, and according to the older generation, the production method in their youth was quite different. In any case, one thing has remained unchanged: only the leaves attacked by leafhoppers are selected. Usually, each twig consists of 1 bud and 2 leaves.
Production Area
Oriental Beauty is made only from tea leaves attacked by green leafhoppers, which appear during June–July. Due to increasing demand, China has started producing tea under the same name, yet the identical muscatel flavor of Oriental Beauty is difficult to replicate. In Taiwan, it depends very much on luck whether the leafhoppers return to the same tea garden. Farmers must keep their gardens as natural as possible in the hope that the insects will return each year.
The yellow spots seen below the green leafhopper (center) are evidence that the tea leaf has been bitten.
The tea garden is located in Xin-zhu (新竹县). The altitude is about 1000m a.s.l. The tea garden receives sunshine only in the morning; from the afternoon onward, the entire garden is covered by thick fog. Thanks to the fog and higher altitude, the taste and flavor of the tea are very rich, and it gives a very smooth drinking sensation.
Cultivar and Plucking
Oriental Beauty is made from the cultivar called 青心大冇. During June–July, many green leafhoppers attack the tea garden on the mountain. The leafhoppers suck the juice from young leaves, causing the attacked leaves to change color to yellow. It is said that the tea garden sometimes emits a sweet fragrance from the leaves that have been bitten.
The mechanism behind this mysterious fragrance is yet to be fully understood. We assume that leaves attacked by these insects subsequently produce a type of antibody. The antibody produced by plants is known as phytoalexin. One type of phytoalexin is known to give a fruity aroma—a small molecular substance called a terpenoid. We wonder whether this substance plays a role in the flavor of Oriental Beauty.
A pesticide-free tea garden is necessary to attract green leafhoppers. But this is not sufficient—it also very much depends on luck.
The tea leaves bitten by green leafhoppers turn yellowish and their shape also changes.
Plucking is carried out to select only the leaves attacked by leafhoppers. Only 1 bud and 2 leaves are carefully plucked by hand.
Processing
Sunshine Withering
After plucking, the tea leaves are spread over the ground under natural sunshine. This is called sunshine withering. Cloudy weather is generally ideal to avoid excessive damage to the leaves. If sunny weather continues, a black cloth is used to block the harsh rays. During sunshine withering, moisture inside the leaves evaporates and fermentation is moderately triggered, causing the leaves to gradually release a refreshing aroma.
Indoor Withering
The method of fermentation for oolong tea is completely different from that of black tea. After sunshine withering, the leaves are brought into the factory and spread over a sheet. Oriental Beauty uses only 1 bud and 2 leaves, unlike ordinary high mountain oolong tea, which requires 4–5 leaves. Because the moisture content of Oriental Beauty leaves is generally higher than that of ordinary high mountain tea, the withering process takes much longer. This extended withering period accelerates hydrolysis, generating the tea's characteristic sweet flavor and taste.
The tea leaves are then tossed onto a bamboo tray. This agitation causes friction that triggers fermentation. The tray is placed on a rack, and this process is repeated several times. The tea leaves begin to ferment when bruised. The fermentation of Oriental Beauty takes longer than that of ordinary oolong teas, and because the leaves are tender and fragile, the entire process is carried out very gently. Once the tea master determines that fermentation is sufficient, the leaves are sent for heat treatment to stop further fermentation. If this is not done promptly, fermentation will continue until the tea turns into black tea.
The number of rotations and timing of fermentation are judged based on the moisture content, flavor, and color of the leaves. These decisions require highly experienced tea technicians and have a tremendous impact on quality. All technicians follow the instructions of the tea master, and producing good quality tea depends on finding an excellent one.
Rolling
Tea leaves are first rolled by a rolling machine. For Oriental Beauty, bag rolling is not carried out in order to protect the leaves from cracking. Excessive rolling pressure can damage the leaves, causing bitterness, astringency, and off-flavors. The rolling process is therefore conducted under moderate pressure. During rolling, the temperature of the leaves drops and they become brittle, so they are heated in a drum at 60–80°C to soften them. If the pressure is too firm, the leaves produce an undesirable taste; if too gentle, the taste becomes weak. The same sequence is repeated several times, with each parameter adjusted according to the condition of the leaves, including moisture content. The tea master must carefully assess the condition of the leaves at each stage and apply the appropriate method. It requires a great deal of precision and expertise.
After rolling, the leaves are dried to reduce moisture content to 5%.
