Dong Fang Mei Ren tea

Dong Fang Mei Ren tea
Traditional Chinese	東方美人茶
Simplified Chinese	東方美人茶
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Dōngfāng Meǐrén chá

Oriental Beauty

{{{Tea_image}}}
Type:	Oolong
Other names:	Oriental Beauty, White tip oolong, Dong Fang Mei Ren tea
Origin:	Taiwan
Quick description:	The harvests in summer are most prized for the fruity and honey scent,
Temperature:	80-90°C

Dong Fang Mei Ren tea (Chinese: 東方美人茶; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tang-hng bí-jîn tê; literally "Oriental Beauty" or more recently White tip oolong (in Chinese: Bai Hao Oolong tea), is an Oolong tea produced in Hsinchu, Taiwan. A heavily fermented, non-roasted, tip-type oolong, traditionally known as Oriental Beauty or more recently White Tip Oolong, in Chinese: Bai Hao Oolong tea, Pon Fon Cha( 膨風茶old Taiwanese term), Boast tea, and Champagne Oolong.

This tea is a tippy tea, with natural fruity aromas that produces a sweet tasting bright-reddish orange tea liquor without a strong bitterness. Dried leaves of high quality should exhibit a pleasant aroma with leaf colouration of dark purple and brown tones with white hairs.

Tea leaf hopper

Oriental Beauty can't use any pesticides while the leaf hoppers are present, since it need leaf hoppers (Cicadellidae： Jacobiasca formosana (Paoli)) for its special flavor. Leaf hoppers' precious bites could induce the defence response, some special chemicals, of tea tree bugs for attrated the leaf hoppers natural enemy! Those chemicals also what makes this tea more special (and more expensive) than most other teas. It is a heavily fermented oxidized Oolong harvested from young leaves and tips, in the summer, just after they have been bitten by the small green insect called the tea leaf hopper or tea jassid. Their bite starts the oxidation of the leaves and tips and adds a sweet note to the tea characteristic.

History

In the early 20th century when a British tea merchant presented a sample of this tea to Queen Elizabeth II. From there, the Queen named this tea as Oriental Beauty. This tea dates from the end of the 19th century, when Taiwan started exporting its Oolong teas overseas. John Dodd eported tea to the west, Formosa oolong. Some tea farmers proud what a high price they were able to sell this tea, therefore in Chinese/Taiwanese, named it "Ponghongday / Pong Fong Cha" or "Boast tea".

Sea also

• Taiwan teas

References

• 峨眉東方美人茶^{[dead link]}
• Oriental Beauty Tea - a taste of the best oolong tea^{[dead link]}
• "Puff Tea" - The Eastern Beauty Tea^{[dead link]}