Summer 2024 harvest of Eastern Beauty wulong from Emei mountains in Northern Taiwan. This tea is quite a phenomenon in Taiwan and has many names: Bai Hao Oolong, Oriental Beauty, or its formal name Dong Fang Mei Ren 东方美人. The tea is grown in wild conditions pesticide-free aka ye fang cha 野放茶 - employing highly sustainable farming methods without human intervention (uncertified organic tea).
 
Unlike many Taiwanese teas which are reproductions of Chinese teas, this is a Taiwanese invention from the mid-19th century, imbued with a good measure of national pride. It revolutionized the tea industry by utilizing the distinctive effect of jassid bugs on tea leaves, an innovative approach that led to a unique honey flavor profile known as mi xiang.
 
Made by the one and only Master Yuping, one of the significant figures we've had the pleasure to meet in Taiwan and who now serves as one of our mentors who hosts our travel groups in the yearly Yefang tour to Taiwan. Master Yuping crafted an iconic tea with rich aroma of caramel and roasted chestnuts, hints of sesame and black pepper finish.
 
The primary characteristic of this tea, and the reason it's largely harvested in the summer months, is the appearance of jassid grosshoppers and other bugs that nibble on young tea leaves. These tiny insects trigger a defensive response in the tea plants, leading to the production of polyphenols that result in the distinct "honey fragrance". This term is deeply woven into the local jargon, to the point that today in Taiwan other teas cannot be described as having a "honey fragrance" unless their leaves were nibbled by those leafhoppers.

Q&A Interview with master Yuping.