Creating Muscatel Black Tea Using a Unique Blending Method | HOJO Online Speciality Tea Shop

I would like to introduce the unique creation of black tea with a distinctive muscatel flavor profile.

Acquiring Exceptional Mi Xiang Black Tea

Have you ever heard of a unique black tea called “Mi Xiang Black Tea” or “Muscatel Black Tea”? This tea is crafted from leaves that have been delicately nibbled by leafhoppers, resulting in a delightful sweet honey aroma reminiscent of Muscat wine. While Taiwan is renowned as the primary hub for producing Mi Xiang Black Tea, sourcing truly exceptional and high-quality versions of this tea has become increasingly challenging in recent years.

The challenges in acquiring high-quality Mi Xiang Black Tea stem from several factors:

1. Increasing demand in China has driven up prices, making it more difficult to obtain this tea at reasonable rates.
2. A lack of expertise among producers has resulted in a significant portion of Mi Xiang Black Tea being inaccurately processed, leading to a musty odor and a lack of the distinctive honey aroma.
3. High-quality tea gardens, typically found in high mountain regions, often prioritize the production of Oolong tea. Consequently, the majority of raw materials processed into Mi Xiang Black Tea come from lowland teas, affecting overall quality.
4. Leafhoppers, crucial for imparting the desired flavor, are most abundant in early summer. Therefore, Mi Xiang Black Tea is often produced from summer harvest tea, which may lack the desired smoothness in taste.
5. Mi Xiang Black Tea is frequently produced in lowland regions with high temperatures during early summer. This environment necessitates the frequent use of pesticides, resulting in many teas failing to meet Japan’s stringent pesticide standards.

Experiencing the Delightful and Exceptional Flavor of Mi Xiang Black Tea

Despite the challenges associated with sourcing high-quality Mi Xiang Black Tea, you don’t need to go through the hassle of searching for it. There’s a straightforward way to experience the exquisite flavor of exceptional Black Tea infused with intense muscatel notes.
Here’s how: Blend equal parts “Oriental Beauty and Yunnan Black Tea!”
Despite the term “blend,” there’s no need to physically mix the tea leaves. Simply use half of each tea in the teapot. For instance, if you’re using 3g of tea leaves, use 1.5g of Oriental Beauty and 1.5g of black tea.
While Oriental Beauty falls into the Oolong tea category, its high level of fermentation and processing method make it closer to black tea, resulting in an excellent harmony with black tea. Oriental Beauty boasts a strong honey aroma yet offers a refreshing taste. By blending it with high-quality black tea, the smooth taste lacking in Oriental Beauty is complemented by the black tea, resulting in a truly exquisite tea experience.

We Highly Recommend Blending with High-Quality Spring Harvest Black Tea

Selecting well-processed black tea for blending is paramount. Tea with improper fermentation control may exhibit a musty odour, noticeable in both the brewed tea leaves and the resulting aroma. Ideally, well-made black tea presents with brewed leaves boasting an orange colour akin to copper, emitting a pleasant sweet aroma.
Moreover, considering that Oriental Beauty’s raw materials are harvested in early summer from low-altitude tea gardens, the resulting taste tends to be coarse regardless of quality. However, when paired with high-quality black tea, the overall flavor profile is significantly enhanced, yielding a more mellow, smooth, and robust aftertaste.
For optimal results, it’s essential to use black tea derived from the first flush of spring harvest. Specifically, we strongly recommend Yunnan black tea sourced from completely unfertilized old trees grown at elevations ranging from 2000 to 2300 meters. This unique combination elevates the muscatel flavor of Oriental Beauty to an exceptional level.

Recommended Black Teas for Blending

When considering black teas suitable for blending, I recommend following tea.

• Yunnan Ancient Black Tea
• Gushu Diang Hong
• Yunnan Gongfu Black Tea
• High Mountain Purple Black Tea

We also prioritize using naturally grown tea without fertilizers for Oriental Beauty. Our current Oriental Beauty selection boasts a strong muscatel flavor, making it a delightful standalone tea. However, blending it with the aforementioned black teas offers a unique and enriching experience! The smoothness of the black tea seamlessly merges with the expansive muscatel aroma, delivering an exceptional black tea experience.