Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Green Terrace Teas
Tea Description:
Eastern Beauty, also know as Oriental Beauty, Bai Hao Oolong, and Champagne Formosa, is one of the most famous and unique Asian teas. During the growing process, green cicadas or “leafhoppers” bite the leaves, stimulating a hormonal reaction in the tea tree that develops its natural honey flavor. This also means that the tea is organic, as no pesticides are used during production. Eastern Beauty is more oxidized than other oolongs and has a very distinctive taste. It is delightfully smooth and fruity, with naturally sweet honey and floral undertones. Thanks to its lack of astringency, this selection is also very forgiving to oversteeping and its savory flavor persists through many infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m loving this Eastern Beauty Oolong from Green Terrace Teas. It represents the first of the teas that I’ve tried from this new-to-me company, and I’m very happy with what I’m tasting thus far!
I brewed this in my gaiwan using 180°F water, and after a 15 second “awakening” of the tea leaves, I steeped the first infusion for 1 minute and the second infusion at 1 minute 15 seconds. I combined the first two infusions in one cup. For each subsequent infusion, I would add 15 seconds to the infusion time, and I would combine two infusions in one cup. (The second cup = infusions 3 and 4 … and so on.)
The first cup was lighter in flavor and texture than the subsequent cups, but even though it was lighter in flavor – it was still very flavorful! There were sweet, peach-like notes with a sharp floral tone. Beautifully sweet! The mouthfeel was soft and pleasant. There were some earthy notes to the cup as well as hints of wood-like notes. I detected no bitterness or astringency to the cup unless I really focused on it, and then I picked up on a slight dry note toward the finish. It’s barely there!
And even though I mentioned the sharp floral note, this is not an overly floral tasting tea. There is just a bit of flower there that cuts through some of the fruity sweetness – it’s enough to offer contrast without becoming a flowery tea.
The second cup had a more developed set of flavors than the first. I could really taste the peach-y notes! The sharp floral tone that I picked up on in the first cup is somewhat subdued now. It is not so sharp, and instead, it is more like a whisper of flower in the distance. This cup was more about the peach, the notes of earth and wood, and a lovely, sweet nutty tone that began to reveal itself. I like the way the peach and the nutty flavors work together.
The third cup was the sweetest of the three! The peach notes are profound, and the woodsy/earthy notes are softened, making way for more sweetness that is reminiscent of honey. This is where the honey notes really come into focus, so it’s definitely worth the effort to keep on steepin’ when it comes to this tea. The honey notes are BEAUTIFUL!
A really enjoyable tea … if it’s any indication of what I have to look forward to from Green Terrace Teas, then I’m really happy to have found this company!
Taiwan Beipu Oriental Beauty Black Tea (Premium Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
*This black tea is a fully oxidised version of traditional Oriental Beauty.
Region: Beipu, Taiwan
Type: Black Tea
Harvest Time: Winter 2013
Oxidation level: Fully oxidised
Taste: Refreshing floral aroma with fruity and honey taste.
When to drink: Throughout the day
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Beipu Oriental Beauty Black Tea is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. I’ve had quite a few Oriental Beauty Oolong teas, but only maybe a handful of Oriental Beauty Black teas, and of those that I can remember … they really impressed me with their amazing flavor. This one is also quite impressive.
The dry leaf aroma is somewhat earthy, reminding me of damp, mossy earth (there’s a lot of that up here in the Pacific Northwest) with notes of flower in the distance. Once the tea is brewed, more of those floral notes emerge, and the earthy notes have subsided somewhat. It smells rich and inviting.
It has the soft, buttery texture of an Oolong tea, but with the well-rounded, full flavor of a black tea. The softer texture means that this is not as hearty a tea as many black teas out there. This isn’t a tea I’d turn to as that first tea in the morning. I’d choose this for a late morning or early afternoon tea.
The flavor is sweet. It has a distinct honey note and it’s the first flavor that I can really distinguish in the sip. The honey notes are intense and almost have a molasses-y undertone. Then I start to pick up on the fruit notes. It tastes of stone fruit, evoking thoughts of freshly-picked, tree-ripened peaches and apricots, bursting with flavor and still warm from the sun.
There are some faint (very faint!) floral tones to this, and I find that they’re most noticeable when I slurp the sip. Mostly I taste the sweet honey, hints of molasses and the juicy peach and apricot flavors. Such incredible flavor to this tea!
Roasted Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea from Spire Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Tea Description:
This rare and tippy dark oolong from Taiwan produces golden-coloured liquor with a deep nutty and honey-flavoured fruit taste.
Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.
Taster’s Review:
I love a good Oriental Beauty Oolong, and this Roasted Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea from Spire Tea is really good. I am loving the strong essence of fruit that I taste: I taste a peach-like flavor that has a slightly roasted taste to it, as though someone had roasted a peach and then topped it with a drizzle of honey. It’s sweet and juicy and delicious.
As with most Oolong teas, I brewed this in my gaiwan. I combine the first two infusions into one cup, and then the third and fourth infusions are combined into the second cup … and so on.
My first cup was lighter in flavor than the second or third cups, but, it was still quite delicious. It had a pleasant toasty flavor with a slight mineral-like tasting finish. There were notes of fruit – sweet juicy peach! – and hints of a woody note, as well as a honey-esque undertone.
My second cup was the most enjoyable of the three. It had a very pleasing, silky texture and a smooth flavor that was reminiscent of the aforementioned roasted peach with a drizzle of honey. With the third cup, I started to notice a bit of tangy astringency toward the finish. The aftertaste had a sweet citrus note
I really enjoyed this Oriental Beauty from Spire Tea. The roasty-toasty tones are very autumnal to me, making this a perfect time of year to enjoy this cup; although, I’m more than happy to enjoy an excellent Oriental Beauty like this all year ’round!
Organic Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Oriental Beauty is organic and utilizes the Chin Xin oolong varietal. Originating from Hungshan in the Anhui province of China, this oolong is crafted by tea master Shan Zhen Chen. Our Oriental Beauty is made from young shoots and is heavily fermented (60-70%), heavily withered (13-25%), and lightly roasted. This gorgeous tea contains leaves that vary in color, including: silver, gold, forest, auburn, cocoa, and charcoal colors. Rich honey notes linger and mingle with apricot, macadamia nut, and orchid notes. Some pastry-like notes are present and pairs well with the sweetness of this oolong, which provides a flavor somewhat reminiscent of funnel cake.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first note I noticed with my first sip of this Organic Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea from Butiki Teas was the orchid. How lovely! After experiencing the orchid, I discovered a strong peach-y/apricot-y flavor. These notes were so sweet and nectar-like that I could almost feel the fruit pulp! It amazes me how the pure tea leaf so perfectly captures the essence of the fruit.
I brewed this Oolong tea the way I usually brew an Oolong: in my gaiwan, using short steeps and combining two infusions in one cup. After a quick 15 second rinse, the first infusion was 45 seconds, and then I added 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. The first two infusions combined produced my first cup, and the second cup was infusions 3 & 4 … and so on. I took this tea through its paces and had five lovely cups of tea (a total of 10 infusions.)
My first cup was very orchid-like. Of the five cups I enjoyed of this Oriental Beauty Oolong, the first cup was the lightest in texture. It felt somewhat thin in comparison to the other cups, but, there was a little bit of soft texture to it. The apricot notes came through after the orchid, and then there was a sweet, honeyed finish.
The second cup was my favorite. It was much more luxurious to sip, the texture was soft and sumptuous, and the apricot notes were prominent. The orchid notes remained a focus with this cup, and hints of the nutty flavors promised in the description start to emerge as well as a distant note of “pastry.” Definitely a yum cup!
The third cup was very much like the second. The orchid notes were a bit softer, and there was a little more astringency with this cup than in the previous two. The nutty tones were a little stronger, as were the buttery pastry notes. The fourth and fifth cups were less floral and more fruity/nutty. The astringency seemed to be strongest in the third cup, with the fourth and fifth cups offering a softer astringency, and a slightly thinner texture than was experienced in the second and third cups.
Overall, this was a truly lovely afternoon spent with this Organic Oriental Beauty Oolong from Butiki Teas, proving once again that this is definitely a company worth exploring. I’ve not yet been disappointed by a tea from this company. This is one of the nicest Oriental Beauty teas I’ve encountered!
Honey Beauty Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
This Honey Beauty Oolong is all natural, handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Qingxin Dapa varietals, the tea leaves often used to produce Oriental Beauty oolong. This tea tastes similar to Oriental beauty but not quite the same. The taste and aroma of the tea are honey sweet, rich, and pleasant with a long lasting honey sweet aftertaste. This tea stands up well to multiple infusions, and has the complexities of an oolong in taste and aroma, but the appearance and strength of a black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love a good Oriental Beauty Oolong, and when I read the name of this Honey Beauty Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea, I was intrigued … I was curious to find out how similar to an Oriental Beauty it would be.
The dry leaf appearance IS indeed very similar, with its dark chocolate colored leaves. The aroma is sweet, reminding me a bit more of the smell of molasses than of honey. It’s a very pleasant fragrance … sort of like walking into a kitchen when my gramma would make pecan pie. It smells a bit like that sweet, molasses-y filling of a pecan pie (but not so much like the actual pecans!) The brewed tea offers a different scent with notes of fruit, flower and yes, even a hint of honey.
The first cup (containing infusions #1 and 2 following a quick 15 second rinse) is very delicately flavored, and I noticed that it took a few sips for the flavors to begin to develop on my palate. By mid-cup, I was noticing a lovely honey-esque tone start to emerge. Notes of stone fruit … somewhere between nectarine and plum. It is sweet but there is a hint of contrasting sour there too.
The second cup (infusions #3 and 4) offered a stronger flavor than the first, and was my favorite cup of the three cups that I enjoyed of this tea. I noticed a stronger fruit note, and the honey notes are more profound with this cup. It’s sweet … and indeed beautiful! Honey Beauty Oolong seems an appropriate name for this tea.
With the third cup (infusions #5 and 6), I noticed the flavors becoming … not really “softer” but more unified. The honey note was not quite as focused, and the fruit note was less distinct. It tasted more like … well, imagine a combination of nectarines and plums that have been roasted to concentrate the flavor and bring out the sweetness of the fruit, and then drizzling this roasted fruit medley with sweet honey. That’s what I taste! YUM!
This tea is definitely a treat for Oolong aficionados!