Country of Origin: Taiwan
Leaf Appearance: dark, curly and twisted
Ingredients: oolong tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 200 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: gold
This tea goes by many different names but most know it as Oriental Beauty. It is unique because farmers actually encourage pests (specifically the tea green leafhopper) to feed on the the plants. This starts the oxidation of the leaves while they are still on the bush and adds a sweet taste to the resulting tea. This version from Canadian based Zentboutique was excellent. It was earthy with notes of honey and peach. An almost citrus-like sweetness lingered long after each sip. The mouth-feel was smooth and there was no bitterness or astringency to speak of. I did three consecutive infusions and it could definitely have kept going to several more. I’m an oolong junkie and teas like this make me very happy. This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Zentboutique and I’m really excited to try the other samples that I have from them.
You can find out more about this tea here.