Dong Fang Mei Ren Oolong Tea/Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea (Originating in Fujian)

Dongfang Mei Ren Oolong tea, Eastern (Oriental) Beauty Oolong, or also known as Bug-Bitten Oolong, is a heavily fermented, non-roasted, white tip-type oolong tea mainly produced in Hsinchu County, Taiwan.

Production:

The oriental beauty is about 70% fermented, and handpicked 1 bud with 2 leaves of Chin Shin Da Pan variety to produce the high Class tea of oriental beauty. The younger tea leaves have white tips. The more white tipped tea leaves, the higher the price of tea it demands. The tea gardens of oriental beauty teas are located at an elevation of about 300~800 meters which has just enough humidity and sufficient sunshine. Its also grown at that elevation so there’s no pollution for the growth of the tea.

This tea is very unique in the world, so its price is higher. And this tea can also only be made from a summer tea harvest, so it is more rare in production.

Characteristics:

It tastes like black tea, but it has a unique honey aroma and the tea brew is a bright amber color. The most interesting thing about the Oriental Beauty is that the tea leaf must be bit by the little tea bug called the Tea Jassid (Jacobiasca Formosana). After being bitten, the green leaves lose photosynthetic ability and transform into a golden-yellow color. Only after this process does the Oriental Beauty Oolong possess its unique honey aroma.

Preparation:

3-5g of Dongfang meiren is brewed with lower temperature water (176F-185F or 80°C–85°C) than is typical for other oolongs. It also requires a longer brewing (1–2 minutes for the first 240ml pot/mug and then longer for subsequent brewings). Like other oolongs, the leaves can be steeped multiple times.