The Imperfect Perfection – Oriental Beauty

The name of oriental beauty tea comes from a romantic story. It is said that in 19th century, the British Queen Victoria was amazed by its look of flowery pekoe in coppery sheen; when brewing, the bloomed leaves swing like a dancing lady, evoking the silken honey and fruity perfume in the crystal cup. The Queen was so fascinated and bestowed the title “Oriental Beauty” upon the tea.

However, this beauty is not just a pretty flower grown in a protective greenhouse.
 
Oriental Beauty, its tea leaves and buds are bitten by the tea green leafhopper (Jacobiasca formosana). The infected leaves and buds are characterised by the reddish-brown spots and curved edges. Not only impact the appearance of the leaves, the saliva of the green leafhopper will also wither the leaves as well as slow down its growth. If the condition becomes severe, the leaves will end up falling. This is also the reason why oriental beauty tea is so rare and is unstable in supply.

Believe the farmers who first encountered the condition of such leaves found a great disappointment and ready to throw them away. But, rather than destroying the crop, someone who treasured tea decided to process the leaves. Surprisingly, he found the tea bitten by tea green leafhoppers yields a ripe fruit and honey aroma that comes with a smooth, mellow taste.
 
The result not only reverses the “injurious pest” character of green leafhopper, it also motivates the farmers to create a more friendly environment such as use no pesticides to attract this insect to come back to the tea yards.
 
Oriental Beauty is a heavily oxidised tea, this exotic oolong tea is produced in different manner to other oolongs. After the panning process, the leaves are placed inside the bamboo basket or metal can covered by cloths for a second oxidation. Then the leaves are rolled, disintegrated, dried as the primarily processed tea. The tea can also be refined by grading and roasting before packaging. Oriental beauty tea is mainly produced in Beipu, Emei, Hengshan and Zhudong in Hsinchu County and Toufen, Touwu, and Sanwan in Miaoli County. This is a unique tea that can only be found in Taiwan.
 
The philosophy and wisdom behind the oriental beauty tea is a profound lesson to learn. Just like the writer Jiao Tong says, “most of the time life is imperfect and full of regrets, but the beauty of life should be defined by ourselves… the beautiful things are often fruits cultivated from blemishes.”