"Leafhopper Queen" Eastern Beauty Organic Oolong

Eastern Beauty tea plants are grown without the use of pesticides in an effort to attract the leafhopper bug, which feeds on its leaves.  These bug bitten leaves are desired and give the tea its unique flavor.  The tea plant’s natural defense mechanism is to produce a honey-like sweetness to attract predators of these bugs in order to protect itself. During this process, the tips of the tea buds turn white, hence the second name, “White Tip Oolong."

Leafhopper Queen is grown and produced on a rural farm in rural north-central Guangxi province, China. The tea plants were transplanted from Taiwan in the late 1940s which give this tea the strength and depth of coming from old, semi-wild trees.  The farm is low-intervention, with acres of mostly feral trees and fully biodynamic grow zones.  Careful cultivation and strict fertilization methods are used to ensure a sufficient population of tea leafhoppers bite the tea plants. These bites—visible on the finished tea leaf—are responsible for the signature rose and exotic fruit qualities of the tea.

During harvest, the tea leaves are hand-plucked at a 1:2 (bud:leaf) standard in early September, withered for several hours, bruised to around 65% oxidation, and dried. The liquor tastes like a floral bouquet and honeydew fruit.