• HOME >
  • How to choose quality tea

img_3796
In 2016, we could not purchase any Oriental Beauty Oolong from Taiwan. It was due to the quality that was unsatisfactory.

Continuous rain during harvesting season of Oriental Beauty

Oriental Beauty tea is made of specific tea cultivar in Taiwan called Qing Xin Da Mao (青心大冇). In ordinary tea garden, the pests are not welcomed at all. However, the specific tea garden for producing Oriental Beauty must not use any pesticide in order to encourage a common pest called the tea green leafhopper.

The tea plucking season of Oriental Beauty starts in June. This is the very timing when a lot of green leafhoppers called “Empoasca onukii” appear and attack tealeaf. These green leafhoppers suck the phloem juices of the tealeaf. Once tealeaf is under this particular insect attack, it produces a substance in order to get rid of those insects. These substances produced by the plant against insects or bacteria are called phytoalexin. Coincidently, the flavor of this substance produced by tea plants gives muscatel-like flavor when it undergoes oxidation.
Actually, these green leafhoppers appear throughout the year. However, during cooler season in winter and early spring, very less number is seen in tea garden. In summer like mid of July or August, the base quality of tea is not very good. That is why the high quality Oriental Beauty is generally plucked in June.

img_3801

We could not purchase Oriental Beauty in 2016

In 2016, it was continuously raining in Taiwan during the plucking season. Due to too much rain, growing speed of tea was too fast and the aftertaste as well as muscatel flavor became very light. After trying many batches of Oriental Beauty, we decided not to purchase this year. Our stock of oriental beauty will finish as soon as 2015 crop is sold out. Hopefully there will be less raining this year in June.

Related Articles

How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?

1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.

Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
HOJO TEA Malaysia online Shop

HOJO TEA Online Shop NEWSlist

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …

NEW ARTICLES

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Hidden Costs of High Valuations of Old Tea Trees
Over the past decade, tea enthusiasts in China have been captivated by teas harvested from Ancient Tea trees, particularly those from Yunnan province, Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea and Wuyi Rock Tea. However, as Ancient Tea trees are rare, the prices of teas harvested from them have skyrocketed. As a result, some farmers who possess …
Discover the Unique Taste of Wu Jia Ping Zhang Ancient Tree Raw Pu-Erh Tea
We have released Wu Jia Ping Zhang ancient tree raw pu-erh tea for 2020 and 2021. This tea is grown in tea gardens located around 2100 meters above sea level in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province of China, just a few dozen kilometres from the Myanmar border. Single-origin tea Wu Jia Ping …
Introducing 3 High Grown Darjeeling First Flush Teas Produced Using Sustainable Methods
We have released three types of Darjeeling First Flush, all of which are grown sustainably. The tea gardens are maintained using natural farming methods, and the use of fertilizers is limited when growing the tea trees. As a result, the tea gardens closely resemble their natural state. Unlike common Darjeeling tea, these teas grow slowly, …
New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden
Tsuge Zairai Sencha 都祁在来煎茶 is made from “zairai” tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Cake 2021
Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2021 is available now. This tea is always very popular in our shop. In Japan, we brought in loose tea this year, and for Malaysia we produced 200g cake. Mao cha before compressing into cake Very limited resources This tea is made from the wild tea, called Camelia taliensis. …
New Release of 2 Types of Darjeeling 1st Flush
We have released two types of Darjeeling 1st Flush Tea. The reason why the Darjeeling 1st Flush is greenish In Darjeeling tea, the 1st flush refers to the first-plucked spring tea. Usually, the Darjeeling 1st Flush tea is greenish. From the outlook, it looks like a green tea. Many people misunderstand that it is green …

PAGETOP