Super Bug

This tea is kind of an enigma. It is a very nice Spring high mountain oolong from Lishan, originally harvested in 2019 and lightly charcoal roasted.  However the characteristic that makes it an outlier is that it was not only visited by tea jassids, but was bitten so extensively by them that you could almost say it was bug bitten to a fault. The tea jassids go for the most tender part of the tea plant, the tiny new growth budding leaves, and if you spread out the brewed leaf on a plate after infusing it appears that almost every single baby bud was attacked by a tea jassid. The result is the baby leaves never grew up and maintained their incredibly delicate young bud character throughout the oolong making process. But the picking was done as a standard oolong tea, including the lower two mature leaves (even if the baby leaf is stunted by bug attack, the lower leaves can and do continue to grow). So you have some very very tender material with incredibly defined buggy-honey taste, and mature oolong leaf material wrapped up in one incredibly unique tea. 

The broth is honey-amber in color, which gives away the fairly heavy oxidation this tea has gone through. Taste is sweet in a very high minded, delicate way with a relatively light body but still a full, expansive mouthfeel. It is full of inner detail, lots of tiny little flavors that evade description but come together to create a dynamic and interesting whole. The top end is pronounced but relaxed, not dazzlingly floral but more plumey and airy. The tea is also full of soft power, energy-wise. It doesn’t hit me over the head with cha qi, but I really feel the depth of it in my body after a few cups and it seems to run my blood faster through my veins and gives me a good sweat.

We initially planned to sell this only in the shop, but felt it was too good not to share with online customers as well. We were hesitant because it’s a little quiet and odd and a bit difficult to brew as well, so don’t jump the gun and buy a ton just because it’s an expensive tea that allegedly has lots of buggy taste. Sometimes teas that hold a lot of their beauty in the nuances can be easy to overlook if you don’t know what you’re looking for. I would recommend this tea for experienced tea drinkers that are looking for something very unique and good to try.

Facts

• Harvest Location : Lishan, Taiwan
• Harvest Date : Spring, 2019
• Cultivar : Qing Xin
  
• Altitude : Likely about 2000