Bug Bitten Diva II

This was a late winter harvest (Dong Pian 冬片, or Winter Sprout). It’s a rare occurrence, and because the leaves grow so slowly during the cold December weather they are extremely thick and sturdy, and absolutely chock full of good ‘tea stuff’. The broth is thick and oily with a jelly-like bounciness when you jiggle the cup. Color is a beautiful peachy-gold with a special depth to it that I’ve only seen in Dong Pian tea.

Aromatically this tea is just spectacular. Like a fun house, bright and colorful and exciting, it just jumps out at you. First hit with hot water, the aroma plumes up out of the teapot with bright fruity tones of lemon, passionfruit and pineapple. The broth scent reveals its deeper, richer side: the mids center around a creamy, sweet, and a bit eggy note, like custard. 

In the second (and even more in the third) infusion it starts to show off its more elegant side, a champagne-like delicacy of aromatic grapey goodness. That’s the bug bitten effect, which is often described as muscatel. Taste is full of sweet, elegant honey. There was a lot of bug action during this harvest period. It’s not every season that you can get this kind of attention from the green leaf hoppers, so even though we’re not selling it for an exorbitant price, we hope you will treasure it. It purely relies on nature, and nobody knows when it will happen again.

The oxidation process was overseen by a master tea maker from Dong Ding, who decided to give it a deeper oxidation than your average high mountain oolong. The broth is followingly round and full, with a smooth mouthcoating texture and long lingering aftertaste that reaches deep into the throat.

Bug bitten high mountain Dong Pian is one of the most unique teas to come out of Taiwan. It’s not like anything else, and it’s pretty rare. There’s also a lot of life in this tea. I take my time brewing it, as the leaves are so thick that it doesn’t really peak until the third infusion. Then it lasts many more before winding down. 

Facts

• Harvest Location : Smangus, Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan
• Harvest Date : December 2024 (First round of labels accidentally written as November)
• Cultivar : Qing Xin Oolong
• Farming Method :  Conventional, From a garden regularly tested by SGS as having 0% pesticide residues
• Altitude : 1500 meters