Author/ The Tantalums - Han-Yi Han-YiLAM CHUN YIN

Update: 2025/03/15

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What's an Oriental Beauty?

A:green teaA kind of Oolong Tea. Also known as Oolong Tea, the oxidation degree is in the range of 10-80%.

Oriental Beauty tea is the most representative honey flavoured tea in Taiwan. It is mainly made from the green hearted Da Nai variety, which has the aroma of ripe fruits and the appearance of five colours of dried tea. In this article, we will introduce you to its origin, characteristics, place of origin, craftsmanship, and proper brewing methods, so as to enhance the depth of your tea appreciation.

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☛ Oriental Beauty

Oriental Beauty is not the earliest name, but a later one.

The name "Oriental Beauty" was not the earliest name, but was gradually established. Historically, tea farmers used to call this type of tea "Fanzhuang Oolong", and the earliest commercial name for this type of tea was "Fanzhuang Tea".

During the Qing Dynasty, the term "Fanzhuang" referred to areas that had not yet been fully Sinicised and were still inhabited by indigenous peoples, so the term "Fanzhuang Tea" mainly referred to tea produced in these areas, and was not a pejorative term, but rather a reflection of the social context of the time; and it was only in the 19th Century during the period of exported tea that it became the kind of tea that was required by the Fanzhuang Museums, and that was the flavour of tea that the Hakka community sold to the westerners to get the flavour that they wanted, for Fanzhuang Tea.

The production area of Oriental Beauty Tea used to cover a wide range of areas, and is now mainly concentrated in the northwestern part of Taiwan, including Beipu, Emei, and Zhudong in Hsinchu County, as well as Toufen, Touya, Sanwan, Nanzhuang, and Shihtan in Miaoli County, and also Lungtan in Taoyuan and other areas. The representative variety of contemporary Eastern Beauty tea is "Qing Xin Da Nai", but other varieties such as Qing Xin Oolong have also been used throughout history.

Prior to the establishment of the name "Oriental Beauty", this type of tea was called by different names in different times and places, but they all referred to the same type of speciality tea.

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☛ An Oriental beauty, known by a variety of aliases!

1. five-coloured tea
2. Puffy Tea - Hsinchu
3. Ponkan Tea - Miaoli
4. Fukushou Tea
5. Fanzhuang tea (very broad, not exactly the same)
6. Champagne Oolong
7. tea with saliva
8. bubble tea
9. bubble tea
10. Black Tea (Pinglin only)

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☛ Features of Oriental Beauty

The white hairs of the tea buds are prominent, and the white hairs of the young buds, with their five-coloured appearance, are beautifully dried. It is a tea with a higher degree of fermentation among the partially fermented and oxidised green teas, and the degree of fermentation announced by the Taiwan Tea Improvement Plant is 60-70%, which specifically refers to partially fermented teas made by heavy withering and highly oxidised processes. There are strict regulations on the harvesting standards, with the young buds having one heart and two leaves, and the harvesting takes place in the hot summer months of June and July.The quality of tea leaves is determined by the degree of "drooling" (pest infestation), and it is easy to make tea with honey flavour..

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☛ Legend of the Oriental Beauty

• Raw Tea Ingredients Infested with Pests
• Delicate picking of two leaves from one heart
• Obvious Varieties of White Hair
• High standard screening

Highest quality of two leaves from a single heart, corresponding to the grading of high quality royal black teas overseas.FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe)The tea leaves are white, green, yellow, red and brown in colour, with a strong honey aroma and ripe fruit flavour. The tea is heavily fermented to produce a harvest look, with warm yellow, orange and red ripe fruits, with crystalline sweetness of fruit nectar, and the nose has a summery honey with explosive floral and fruity aroma, and the palate will have a slight end of sourness and sweetness of the Passion Fruit.

Condition of the young shoots of the insect-infested honey-scented tea raw material

Around 1881, only Oolong tea modelled on the Wuyi method of tea production existed, known as Fanzhuang tea, and the top grade tea was Bunfeng tea.

The first generation of tea in Taiwan is from 1866 John Todd introduced from Fujian varieties planted in the hills of northern Taiwan, the initial gross tea through the "Panzhuang Hall" processed and sold, according to the quality is divided into 22 grades, the highest grade for a bud and a leaf picked EXTRA CHOICE, identification scores over the standard of 90 points, for the top of the tea is also said at the time of the puffed wind tea. This series of products were exported to the United States through the Bao Shun Foreign Bank to be hung on the Formosa Oolong Tea, and there is also a concept of Fanzhuang, which refers to the foreigners of the time, after packing the box to be sold to the Westerners, that is, Fanzhuang Oolong Tea.

Nowadays, the Hakka community still retains the practices that were customary in the past for the Panzhuang Museum, such as Panzhuang Oolong and Panzhuang Black Tea, and the preserved practices are collectively known as Panzhuang Tea, which was also an alias before it became the Oriental Beauty.

Xu Yaoliang: "Our tea is the most important, raw materials accounted for 60%, people accounted for 40%. without good raw materials, even the most powerful tea makers are useless!

Although the production volume is high, the threshold of production is also very high. If not done well, the tea will easily lose its bitter taste and essence flavour. The main reason is that after the tea tree is bitten and sucked by the small green leafhopper, the tea buds are curled and not easy to grow, the defence mechanism of the tea tree itself is activated, and in order to attract the natural enemy of the small green leafhopper, the tea tree will give out a kind of natural honey aroma, and when the tea tree is processed to produce the aroma, it will be the fruity aroma of the Oriental Beauty and the buds, which is usually caused by the pests.Salivation - the meaning of being bitten by a small green cicadaThe more serious the tea buds, the more precious the tea buds are. Here, the words "sinuous" and "salivation" are not the saliva of insects; while in overseas chuangyuan black tea, there is a similar situation, which is known as the "tea buds".MUSK.

make use of2028Produced by Oriental Beauty, the tip of the bud is obvious.

Picking time in the Lunar Mangsui to the summer, 10 days before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, noon tea is the most high-quality, midday Dragon Boat Festival tea, lunch dishes are the raw materials of the legendary high-grade items.

make use ofGreen HeartOriental Beauty (Yishou Tea Factory)

The process of oxidation is sufficiently complementary to reduce the raw and stale flavour, as well as the bitterness and astringency, and to present the natural flavour of the tea plantation management, like the terroir of Terroir in the wine's sense of the word.

make use oforange day-lily (Hemerocallis fulva)Miaoli Oriental Beauty

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The Myth of the Gosanke

1. theory of origin
2. Theory of Master Teachers
3. species theory

• It is mainly produced in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli areas of Taiwan, as well as in the Pinglin and Shiding areas of New Taipei City.
• Kang's, Tsui's, Tang's + Yeung's
• Tea varieties suitable for making Oriental Beauty Tea have the commonality of being easily infested by pests and having a special aroma after being bitten: "Green Heart Da Nai", "Green Heart Oolong", "White Hairy Monkey", "Slow Seed", "Yellow Citrus", "Taiwan Tea No. 12 Jin Xuan", "Taiwan Tea No. 14 Bai Wen", and "Taiwan Tea No. 17 White Egret".Green Heart"The best reputation and the best quality.

In the market of Oriental Beauty tea, there are traditionally three relatively well-known schools, each inherited and produced by different families, whose influence is so far-reaching that they are commonly known as the "Royal Three Families" by tea enthusiasts. These three schools are mainly from the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli regions of Taiwan, and also cover the Pinglin and Shiding areas of New Taipei City, and are represented by the Jiang, Xu, Deng and Yang families.

However, apart from these famous families, there are many other tea farmers and families in the market who also have exquisite tea making skills and have formed other unique classifications according to different origins and production methods, such as byOrigin(Bamboo seedlings vs. Northern Tea District),Teacher(Different tea-making techniques are passed on),Species（They are classified into the following categories: (Green Heart Big Nonsense, Green Heart Oolong, White Hair Monkey, etc.).

The hand-painted green heart of the Tantric Prince is big enough for 2017.2.22

Taiwan's special varieties, including Baiwen, Egret, Jinxuan, Huangkan, Qingxin Kanko, Big Leaf Oolong, and White Hairy Monkey as the Oriental Beauty Tea, are difficult to compare with the Peach, Bamboo, and Miaoli regions in terms of raw material grades because the Peach, Bamboo, and Miaoli regions do have an advantage in terms of soil management, harvesting standards, pests, and varietal characteristics.

Want to learn about varietiesExtended Reading::Tea Varieties Database】Taiwanese Tea No. 1, Are there any other tea tree varieties you don't know? The Field Notes of Mr Tuan

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You're buying an investment product, not tea.

Cost; Competition Tea; Storage Value

Taiwan is no longer a labour-intensive production area, so it is very expensive to hire tea pickers to get the highest quality of two leaves. Nowadays, there are two ways to calculate the salary of tea pickers.Day of reckoningThe first one ismetering. And the exquisite Eastern Beauty tea raw materials, certainly not more than the amount of production mode, is the exquisite procurement of tea, so is thePrice per day.

The daily wage is calculated on a daily basis, ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$1,800 a day, and is usually higher when there is a high production period, a rush period, or a hurry period. If the summer intensive picking mode of the Oriental Beauty tea is used, the daily salary of RMB 3,000 may not be able to hire anyone.It's just, "I'm so tired!"

Not only is it tiring to pluck tea, but it is also not easy for tea makers, especially experienced master craftsmen are even more difficult to pass on, and therefore there is a rush to buy tea made by famous masters, and even many famous authors have been pre-ordered before the production of the scene, by the promotion of marketing and the market's pursuit of the Oriental Beauty, the price of the Oriental Beauty has risen, and after the demand has also increased, the supply has gradually fallen short of the demand, and there is a lot of quick mass production of tea, drinks with Oriental Beauty tea, which may be too green and astringent or boring like ordinary black tea. It may taste too green or boring like ordinary black tea.

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Peach Bamboo Seedling Oriental Beauty Competition Tea System

Grand Prize	1 person	From $500,000
First Prize	30	From $50,000, $100,000 - $250,000
Second Prize	40	From $25,000
First Prize	50	From $15,000
Merit Award	About 600	Self-charging
sapphire	75	From 10,000
saffron (Corypha umbraculifera)	150	From 5500
a flower	400	From 3500

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Prices are updated continuously throughout the years

Oriental Beauty Competition Tea Annual	Open Starting Price
100 Years (2011)	$160,000
101 Years (2012)	$260,000
102 years (2013)	$300,000
103 years (2014)	$360,000
104 (2015)	$420,000
105 years (2016)	$480,000
106 (2017)	$480,000

107 years (2018)	$520,000
108 (2019)	$580,000
109 years (2020)	$600,000
110 years (2021)	Undisclosed
111 years (2022)	Undisclosed
112 years (2023)	Undisclosed
113 years (2024)	Undisclosed
114 years (2025)	To be filled

With the trend of annual inflation and increase in labour costs, a direct response to the price of Oriental Beauty tea, cultural heritage value is priceless, since 1990 the establishment of the competition tea system.Hsinchu CountyIt is one of the most watched competitions in Taiwan, and the largest of its kind every year, although there is still theNew Taipei City, andNationalThe Eastern Beauty Competition is not even close to the impact of the Hsinchu Summer Tea Competition, which is a benchmark.

Many collectors have been collecting tea of different grades and standards for several years, and there is also a "one-stop" collection method, that is, from the Grand Prize (first place), First Prize 1, First Prize 2, First Prize 3, First Prize 10, etc., the connoisseur who will keep a whole series of tea of that year. With each year's tea storage changes, after the transformation so that the flavour and solid, hidden tea such as wine preservation, the future as a beauty of the Orient!old teaCome and savour it.

 

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Taste and Classification

This is the author, Mr Tuan,'s experience in categorisation of tea origins and terroirs, which is not an official announcement of the categorisation of tea origins, but can be used as a reference for readers to learn about Oriental Beauty teas and appreciate the tea styles.

❶ Pinglin, Shek An Ding Dongmei (Category A):

Green heart oolong, gold daylily, white hairy monkey, slow seed as raw materials. Heavy aroma, more light, water is not heavy, soft and smooth, wave essence hand road is not heavy, in favour of elegant aroma has a sense of champagne, the appearance of the "absolutely" beautiful, will use a blend to multiply the appearance of the effect. In Wenshan District, New Taipei City, the fermentation is a bit shallow and the colour is golden, and the aroma of Shek Anchor will not have any obvious waves, and there is a more eye-catching aroma in the first section, but the middle section is stable, and the end section is smooth and slightly thin, and it is difficult to break through because of the restriction of the local varieties.

Among them, "Xinbei Pinglin" would be spoken in Taiwanese by the old-timers in the past, which isBlack Tea, Red TeaThe name "Oriental Beauty" is a local colloquialism rather than an academic categorisation. However, the colour of Oriental Beauty's soup is reddish-orange, and some of our good predecessors are accustomed to calling it that, so it is often misunderstood.

❷ Taoyuan Tomei - Taoying System (Category B, long term Category C):

It is close to the "Taoying Red Tea" series, because of the environment, the water is not smooth compared to other areas, and it is difficult to produce, but those with high quality will be on the road to make it lighter than Hsinchu and Miaoli, and the management of the tea plantation is still good, but it needs to be compromised on the economic development. The honeyed flavour of the first part of the tea is sufficient until the middle taste, but the sweetness of the finish will affect the greenish taste on the tongue. The aroma is quite smooth and persistent, with no major ups and downs. A high quality wine that aims to be clear, clean and aromatic.

❸ Hsinchu Tomei (Category C)

This is the mainstream standard of good quality nowadays, with a strong emphasis on sweetness, which can be described as "wonderful". The mainstay is the green heart Da Nai, which has a special aroma, and the sweetness is not much different from other varieties. The regional practice is to use the stuffed lid and anoxic fermentation to increase the sweetness, but the acidity is obviously higher than other regions if not controlled well. Peach Bamboo Mushroom has a slightly darker fermentation which is closer to black tea soup colour. High price, heavy water, solid honey flavour, strong fruitiness. Sometimes it is stuffy and quite insecure. The aroma peaks in the first part of the aroma, and then slowly sinks in the middle and later part of the aroma, becoming stable and dispersing.

❹ Miaoli Dongmei (Category C)

There is also a continuation of the ancient name of Fanzhuang Oolong Tea, the style is known for its beauty and splendour, many tastings have a rich sense of opulence, rich flavour, the highest texture, the longest memory in the mouth, the overall balance is quite good, most of them come from the tea gardens management has spent a lot of effort, but with the expansion of the urban development and the aging of the population in recent years, and gradually many high-quality tea gardens have been expropriated as an industrial development, a great pity.

❺ Taiwan Speciality Dong Mei (Class D)

Sanzhi, Sanxia, Hualien and Taitung. For example, the Oriental Beauty tea from Sanzhi Township on the north coast is a wild tea mountain speciality with old tea trees, thin leaves and little tea juice, and the leaves dry out easily after insect bites and pests, making it difficult to produce.

In the early days of Taiwan's historical use ofyellow citrusThe Oriental Beauty Tea is of special significance, and the importance of the variety is shown in the novel "Tea Gold" and the TV drama, but it is not easy to find this variety at present. Like Sanzhi Township has the Huangkan variety, which also has its own special characteristics and advantages, along with the special pure and solid taste of the variety and the land, the aroma has a small wave of honey in the first part of the aroma, the middle part of the aroma rises to the top, and the end part of the aroma falls down. At the entrance of the pearl powder round aroma, sugar cane fruit syrup, sap honey aroma, slightly almond sweet, the middle section of the real full, thick wrap mouth, the last section of citrus orange peel white fibre bitterness. Disadvantages: the water is relatively coarse, but the front and middle are solid, the soup colour is golden, the taste is clean and the colour will deepen the more it is steeped.

Taiwan Special Oriental Beauty Production Area sanzhi teaThe above video was recorded on 2018.5.19 at the northernmost coast of Taiwan, Sanzhi Township wild tea area.

Background reference on speciality originsSanzhi Township, with its wild and jungle-like terrain, the sea breeze, yellow grained soil, strong sunlight, high diversity of rare species, and the natural reproduction of various colours, is a place where tea trees are subject to competition from the nearby jungle. Deep inside the ancient tea plantations, bamboo forests, trees, ferns, and tea trees coexist, and the tea trees are subject to competition from the nearby jungle development, coupled with intense pest attacks, not only small green leafed cicadas, but also Tsubaki oak, thistle, spiders, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, bees, praying mantis, tortoise, and withered leaf moths... The environment greatly makes the tea naturally pest-infested, which is also known as the salivating tea. The natural breeding of the tea forests can be seen as far as the eye can see.Assam, andcornelian, andJin Xuan (2027), and2028, andJade (2029), andGreen Heart OolongTaito Tea 6,Yellow Citrus VeteranYellow citrus and gold daylily mixed species and classwelcome fragrance, andTaiwan Tea 7 (shan)Varieties... There is a wide variety of varieties, and they are constantly interbreeding with each other to produce offspring.

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Supplementary Speciality Oriental Beauty

• Northern Thailand
• Vietnam
• Fujian, Yunnan, China

Since the 1970s, the technology transfer of the strategy of agricultural relations has continued, and in recent years, including Vietnam, Thailand and China, there are many high-quality items of Oriental Beauty, Red Water Oolong, and Honey Scented Tea types, which are not inferior to Taiwan's classic Oriental Beauty Tea in taste, and even the white hairs reveal silver buds, colourful and colourful, and the picking process is superb, and half of the craftsmanship is transferred to Taiwan masters' craftsmanship. It is a successful expression of local characteristics, a value reversal, and a solution to the erroneous myth that overseas teas are not good.

Extended ReadingLearn more about Vietnamese tea:Facing up to 'Vietnam Vietnam' Study: How much do we know about the southward direction - Vietnam. Tea and Sympathy

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Application of Oriental Beauty

Many merchants will consider using Oriental Beauty Tea in desserts, handcrafted drinks and canned beverages to find additional demand in the market and attract consumers to experience and buy.

Oriental Beauty & Honey Tea Nutrition

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How to brew Oriental Beauty?

Tea to water ratio: Use 5g to 120c.c. container.

One stroke: 60 seconds (92 degrees)

Second stroke: 30 seconds (90 degrees)

Triple punch: 30 seconds (90 degrees)

Four punch: 30 seconds (95 degrees)

Five punch: 30 seconds (100 degrees)

Watch the full version

The first goal is to stabilise the tea broth and brew it with a honeyed aroma, sweetness and smoothness, and it is recommended that the temperature be controlled between 88~92 degrees Celsius.

Recommended brewing method｜Oriental Beauty Tea｜Proud and delicate, taste the fruity aroma｜Oriental Beauty Tea

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Extended Reading Area

• Taiwan Tea Commonly Seen Certificate of Origin Certificate of Origin Total Collation
• So the experts know how to use it too? Lazy Tea Making in the Office
• Convenience Store Oolong Tea Recommendation List
• Visiting the Four Major Oolong Teas. The Four Regions of Oolong Tea (Guangdong, Minnan, Minbei, Taiwan)
• Oolong Tea Brewing Tips

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Invitation to courses, tea shopping

Breeding Course 1-to-1, 1-to-2 Enrolment

00:00 -00:30 Introduction to Species

00:30 - 00:45 Tea Varieties Distinction

00:45 - 01:00 Scent and flavour experience

01:00 -01:30 Tea Variety Memory and Interpretation

01:30 -02:00 Brewing Practice and Q&A

Welcome to write to us: hanyi2016tea@gmail.com
The series of tea courses kicked off with instructor HAN-YI arranging a series of experiential tea courses in professional fields, from understanding tea leaves, choosing utensils, brewing methods, analysing and adjusting, and staff skills, and so on.

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