Emei Dah Pan "Peng Feng" Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea - Summer 2019
Emei Dah Pan "Peng Feng" Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea - Summer 2019 Emei Dah Pan "Peng Feng" Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea - Summer 2019 Emei Dah Pan "Peng Feng" Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea - Summer 2019 Emei Dah Pan "Peng Feng" Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea - Summer 2019
$ 12.50

We finally found another great version of Oriental Beauty that is affordable yet tasty. This tea would be a great introduction to the world of Oriental Beauty, 

 

You might know the legend of an English queen being so fascinated by this tea and thus the origin of this tea's name; or you might have heard the story of a Japanese governor who was so amazed by this tea and thus named it "Oriental Beauty." All those rumors shall end here today, because this tea was not named by a foreigner impressed with this uniquely processed tea, but instead by the locals who were trying to market the tea produced in Emei.

 

Before "Oriental Beauty," the name of Emei's specially processed tea was called "Fortune Longevity Tea" (福壽茶), a name which in Taiwanese culture could be very easily associated with common phrases used surrounding funerals and death. As a result, people often poked fun at this tea, calling it "Coffin Tea" (棺材茶). Local tea makers in Emei eventually realized that the name was damaging their image, and they needed to come up with a new name to market their tea. Finally, a local government bureaucrat (coincidentally named Hsu, just like our Emei farmer friend) came up with the idea of "Oriental Beauty." Evidently, the name stuck, because four decades later the name still lingers in the minds of tea lovers worldwide.

 

So, what makes "Oriental Beauty" so special? What is the real evolution of this tea? On this particular trip to Emei, as we processed the tea material alongside the masters for two days, we began to understand the mindset behind this tea when it was created back in the 1970s. We considered the background history of the Emei area and the unique processing style of this tea. The "true story" of Oriental Beauty, it turns out, is even more fascinating than how its name came about. Oriental Beauty is truly a tea that could only be invented by Taiwanese in Emei, thanks to the region's glorious past.

 

The greater Hsinchu, Taoyuan, and Miaoli area in northern Taiwan were once prosperous locales for export tea production. The two most famous tea growing regions in the Hsinchu area were Beipu and Emei. Tons and tons of tea were being exported to countries all over the world back then. Some oolong teas were also being mass-produced at the time as well (that's why we have our Barrel Ball aged oolong). With first-hand knowledge and experience with all these processing methods, Emei producers were able to invent a new tea processing style during their downtime. This new tea eventually saved Emei producers from the ashes of the collapsed exporting market at the end of 1970s, and became the concept of "Oriental Beauty" we commonly know today.

 

We decide to give this tea its original name "Peng Feng" (椪風), which literally means "a windbag" in Taiwanese. This is a common name for more affordable Oriental Beauty in the current market, but has yet to appear in our collection. We hope the fruit-like character of this "Peng Feng" will make you fall in love with the world of Oriental Beauty

 

 

Harvest:  Summer 2019 / 夏 貳零壹玖

Varietal:  Qing Xin Dah Pan / 青心大冇

Elevation:  300 M / 參佰 公尺

Region:  Emei / 峨嵋

Fermentation Level:  75% / 分之 柒拾捌

Roast Level: 0 / 無

 

 

 Still Savouring.......

 

 Still Savouring......

 

 This is the Oriental Beauty we would like to introduce to people who would like to know what is an Oriental Beauty from Emei. How can a mix between oolong and black be possible? And how it might taste? This "Peng Feng" will be an introduction to the wonderful flavor of Oriental Beauty and won't hurt a tea lover's wallet!