This oolong is Today’s Blessing.
It’s the 4th tea I’ve tried today and the first I’ve liked. I was starting to despair that my taste buds were dead. But no — this tea is a lifesaver!
It’s a yummy oolong (my new favorite jam) with a sweet honey/nectar tang. It tastes like the spring. This distinct flavor is from the leafhoppers interacting with the tea leaves.
Let me save you a Google, friends.
A leafhopper is a little vegetarian insect that is super-into sap and sweetness. When they bounce around from local nectars onto the tea leaves, they spread that sweetness around. Into your tea.
If you think about this a whole lot, it might seem kind of unusual. But consider Kopi Luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world. It’s processed from, well, civet feces. Feel free to check out the Wikipedia page on this.
So the leafhopper thing suddenly became 100% better, right?
I have decided I’m on board with leafhoppers. They’re my newest animal kingdom friends.
Way to go, guys. You’re cute, and you come in a bunch of colors. And the tea is tasty.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Golden Tea Leaf
Description
Honey Red Jade Tea is a unique fermented black tea from the pristine hills of Taiwan. Hand-picked and processed, Honey Red Jade Tea is grown naturally to encourage the tea leafhoppers to feed on the tea leaves, producing a natural honey fragrance when the enzymes from the leafhopper interact with the tea plants. This tea brews to a dark caramel color with a sweet fragrance and refreshing taste.
Honey Red Jade tea is irresistible when it is hot. It is even better when it is cooled. The unique sweet floral and honey fragrance becomes more pronounced, with a slight hint of citrus. This is a tea you can leave in your cup or tumbler and not worry about over steeping or drinking it cold. Over-steeping and bitterness is not a problem with this tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Golden Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Honey Red Jade Tea is a unique fermented black tea from the pristine hills of Taiwan. Hand-picked and processed, Honey Red Jade Tea is grown naturally to encourage the tea leafhoppers to feed on the tea leaves, producing a natural honey fragrance when the enzymes from the leafhopper interact with the tea plants. This tea brews to a dark caramel color with a sweet fragrance and refreshing taste.
Honey Red Jade tea is irresistible when it is hot. It is even better when it is cooled. The unique sweet floral and honey fragrance becomes more pronounced, with a slight hint of citrus. This is a tea you can leave in your cup or tumbler and not worry about over steeping or drinking it cold. Over-steeping and bitterness is not a problem with this tea.
Available in tea bags or loose form.
Benefits: Aid in heart health. In a 2009 research by Arab L. et al., it is said that people who consume 3 or more cups of black tea per day have a 21% lower risk of a stroke compared with people who consume less than 1 cup per day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden Leaf Tea is a fermented tea from Taiwan. Straight from the bag you’ll see tightly rolled tea leaves waiting to release their magic. Once these rolled leaves hit hot water – BAM – they puff out and open to fill the tea cup with magnificent black tea! The post-infused aroma of Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden Leaf Tea is that of a biscuit and honey duo which was very pleasing to the nose.
I think I was expecting a brash and overly rich black tea flavored base to this on the tongue but it has a more even sip than I thought it would. I’m not saying that is good, bad, or indifferent – it’s just something I was surprised by. It had a woodsy-type flavor that seemed to come and go. I do like this tea. It’s satisfying. Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden Leaf Tea is pleasant and not overly done in any way. Perhaps this would be a nice loose leaf to share with friends…especially if you are unsure of their tea tastes. Personally, I think this is perfect for early to middle of the afternoon. I would need something more robust to start my day off but it might be better for those not into the super strong tasting black teas, too.
