Oriental Beauty (東方美人)
archetype: Maiden in a honey-coloured gown
A maiden in a dress the colour of ripe honey: leaves bitten by a leafhopper give a honeyed veil and a thin feminine spice.
History
Dong Fang Mei Ren, or 'Oriental Beauty' (also Bai Hao Oolong, 'silver-tipped oolong'), is the most oxidised of Taiwanese oolongs: 60–80 %, no roast. Its peculiarity lies in the raw material — the leaf is bitten by the leafhopper Jacobiasca formosana. The plant's reaction to the bite triggers protective monoterpenes, and a characteristic honeyed-muscat note appears. The bushes are not treated with pesticides — otherwise the leafhoppers go away and the magic is lost.
Terroir
The best harvest is the summer one, at the peak of leafhopper activity (June). The benchmark is the gardens of Beipu village.
Leaf
honey, ripe peach, muscat, raisin; in long infusions — warm silk and a floral trail long, silken, leaving a honey note in the throat that holds 30–40 minutes
Properties
rich in defensive-reaction monoterpenes (linalool, geraniol) and theaflavins; gentle stimulation, good for mood and skin warm, silken; felt as an embrace in the upper chest moderate (30–45 mg), gentle
Brewing ritual
a thin gaiwan, 110 ml; 85 °C, soft; 6 g / 110 ml. 15s — a honeyed veil, warm peach; 12s — the peak: muscat, ripe grape, honey; 15s — a floral trail, a faint spice; 25s — a long honey note; 40s — a thin echo of raisin; 60s — the finale — warm silk in the throat.
When to drink
day and early evening. summer and early autumn. when you want tenderness; after long work; for feminine rest; with dessert