The Special Fragrance of Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea

One of Taiwan’s most famous teas, being among the top ten, is a tea called Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea. This tea is one of the teas customarily consumed by the Taiwanese. If you travel to China and you want to drink Oriental Beauty oolong Tea, you may want to ask for it by its Chinese name, Dong Fang Mei Ren. It can also be found as BaiHao Oolong. This last name is derived from the appearance of the white-tipped tea buds.The tea is said to have been named Oriental Beauty by Queen Victoria herself, when she was presented with it. A merchant brought it before the queen and she was delighted with it. At the time, she was not aware of the national origin of the tea, only that it was coming to her from the East. She named it Oriental Beauty because she was so delighted in the mild but expressive flavor and the exquisite color of the tea. The name became attached to this tea and has not changed.The fermentation process of this tea is more than most of the Oolong teas. It is fermented to anywhere between 65% to 85% saturation. Yet, Oriental Beauty is still considered to be a tea that’s only half fermented, giving the tea a great fermentation threshold. Because of this, Oriental Beauty has no bitterness to it and tastes mellow and smooth instead. There is also a noticeable absence of leafy odor which gives the tea a great aroma.The advanced fermentation process of the Oriental Beauty Oolong tea is responsible for the beautiful amber color when it is brewed. The color of the liquid is clear and bright. The leaves are distinct from other teas as well. They are lovely shades of gold and red. Other colors you will find are green, white and brown. A naturally sweet and mellow tea, the Oriental Beauty reminds you of honey when you drink it. It has an unequalled aroma for which it is much desired. This tea is unlike any other tea in its smoothness and wonderfully sweet flavor. A special technique is responsible for giving the tea all of its wonderful attributes, especially the sweet smell reminding of honey.The tea is not just harvested during the summer months of June and July. The leaves are harvested only after a small insect called a leaf hopper has eaten from the leaves. This is the secret to the tea’s special qualities. Even though the leaf hopper would be banished in haste when growing most other crops, it is the secret ingredient that adds this tea its uniqueness.It seems that the tea leaves become partially oxidized with each bite from the little leaf hoppers. This oxidation process results in the distinct fragrance and taste of this wonderful tea and is what makes it to be in such high demand.To grow Oriental Beauty, you really have to know and understand all about tea growing. Only those with much experience and knowledge are permitted to grow this tea because it is very important to uphold its reputation of excellence. To know whether the leaves are of high quality or are second rate, each tea leaf must be individually inspected to see whether or not it has been bitten by the leaf hopper. As the number of bites per leaf increases, so does the quality of the tea. To ensure the presence of the necessary leaf hoppers, the tea farmers have to refrain from the use of any pesticides, which can make the work of growing this tea quite laborious.