Pinglin Natural Farming Da Man Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea

This wonderful plantation was half abandoned by its original owner, and was fortunately discovered by our friend, Mr. Liao. Mr. Liao is a young farmer who has been working in the Pinglin area for years. Under his care, this plantation has succesfully transformed into a land of nature and purity, nuturing the ancient varietal we have sought for so long— the Da Man varietal.

We had this varietal displayed in our 2017 harvest, but at that time Taiwan Sourcing did not yet focus on material that was managed without pesticides or herbicides. After 2017, as we transformed ourselves from a tea sourcer to a tea producer, a clean plantation that grows this particular Da Man varietal became one of our main targets for the goal of varietal preservation. Unfortunately, as the market has maintained its high demand for varietals with a strong aromatic profile such as Qing Xin Oolong and Jin Xuan, ancient varietals which have deeply robust character were all but abandoned to cater to tea competetion judges' preferences for an instant aroma. This varietal is one of such ancient varietals. 

Known for its unique "pear" profile among tea lovers, this varietal displayed that strong pear aroma during processing from beginning to end, and then to the teapot on the table. We suspect this exclusive character was probably constructed by the particularly substantial "epicutical wax" on the surface of the tea leaves, giving it a sweet profile no other varietal can deliver. Its deep ancient character also is a great foundation for Taiwan Sourcing's withering and fermentation technique, making this tea deliver a long lasting experience in one's throat and mind. 

Oriental Beauty Oolong is the most labor intensive processing method in the system of Taiwan Sourcing. This kind of processing could only be developed in the multicultural tea environment of 20th century Taiwan. It is known for its unique profile between black tea and oolong tea. To create a smooth and elegant body from tea leaves, "big waving," a step normally done by a machine, will be fully done by hand to destroy the leaves’ cell walls more minutely and smoothly. Since it must be done by hand, each batch of Oriental Beauty Oolong at Taiwan Sourcing has very limited production. It is an unforgettable experience waiting to be discovered. 

We had a video created with Simon's narration displaying a look at this special varietal on site in Pinglin. Please click below if you want to find out more.

Taiwan Sourcing's First Encounter with a New Varietal in Pinglin! - YouTube

Harvest Season: See Options / 見選項

Varietal: Da Man Varietal / 大慢種

Elevation: 550 M / 伍佰伍拾 公尺

Region: Pinglin District / 坪林區

Fermentation Level: 70% / 分之 柒拾

Roast Level: See Options / 見選項

 Water is boiling!

 Water is boiling!

 Insider news: The summer 2023 version was create alongside with its 2023 summer black tea version. Since it was machine plucked material, an old dog was forced to not just manual big waved the material, but also to manurally "plucked" the material while processing it. Trying to refined the material grade from a machine plucked pile of tea was quite a difficult task, and made this batch of Da Man OB an very limited quantity to the market, and also made the whole night sleepless since we also had to process the black tea version of this material. Fortunately the result was beautiful!