Harvest Date: Winter 2025
Harvest Location: Emei Township, Hsinchu County
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Production: 70–80% oxidized, non-roasted; lightly curled strips
 
In the gentle hills of northern Taiwan, a quiet seasonal rhythm shapes this remarkable tea. While Oriental Beauty is often associated with summer, winter harvests in this region offer a rarer expression—slower growth, denser leaves, and a deeper, more honeyed aromatic profile.
 
Here, the story still begins with the tiny green leafhopper, Jacobiasca formosana. Their delicate nibbling sets off a natural defensive response in the tea plant, initiating oxidation on the leaf before it is ever plucked. Rather than deter them, farmers welcome their presence, knowing this interaction is essential to the tea’s unmistakable character.
 
Cooler winter temperatures and drier air slow the plant’s metabolism, concentrating sugars and aromatic precursors in the leaf. When hand-harvested, the buds and tender leaves display the celebrated five-color palette—silver down, olive green, amber, russet, and deep brown—visual evidence of substantial oxidation and careful handling.
Oxidized to roughly 70–80% and left unroasted, the leaves are gently curled into elegant strips. The result is a cup defined not by brightness, but by depth: wildflower honey, ripe stone fruit, citrus peel, and a soft muscatel warmth carried on a silky body.
 
This is Oriental Beauty in its winter voice—rounder, richer, and quietly perfumed. Best approached with patience, allowing each infusion to reveal another layer of its natural complexity.