Bug-bitten oolong? The secret behind Taiwanโs rare honey-flavored tea โ and where to enjoy it
<a href=https://sites.google.com/view/ethena/ethena-fi>Ethena</a>
As the leaves rustle atop the hills in Nantou, Taiwanโs largest tea-producing area, the farm suddenly comes alive, millions of tiny green bugs hopping into the air.
While many farmers might frown at the sight of these pests munching on their crops, Lee Ming-cheng, a third-generation tea farmer and maker, canโt hide the broad smile on his sun-kissed face.
This โgreen insect fog,โ as locals call it, is a sign theyโll have a good harvest of Gui Fei Oolong (also known as Honey Flavor Dong Ding Oolong or Concubine Oolong), a special tea thatโs prized for offering a hint of honey flavor.
And itโs these endemic insects, called Jacobiasca formosana, or tea jassids, that are to thank for it.
When the jassids feed, the leaves go into defensive mode and produce a sweetened hormone that tastes and smells like honey, creating one of the worldโs most intriguing teas: mixiang cha, or honey-fragrance tea.
The bug-bitten leaves are oxidized and roasted to create a variety of beverages. Thereโs mixiang black tea (made with fully oxidized leaves) and oolong teas like Oriental Beauty (partially oxidized and not roasted) and the previously mentioned Concubine Tea (partially oxidized and roasted), to name a few.
Unlike Taiwanโs ubiquitous bubble tea, mixiang tea is still highly limited and largely off-the-radar. But what was once a hidden gem among serious tea lovers is now starting to gain international attention.
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