Honey Bug

Miaoli Dong Mei

• Type: Wulong
• Harvest: Summer 2024
• Cultivar: Da Mao
• Elevation: 400m
• Location: Outside Toufen, Miaoli County, Taiwan

Tasting Notes

• Dry Leaf: Dark and White Contrasts, Strip Shapes.
• Wet Leaf: Honeysuckle, Honey and Toast.
• Liquor: Golden Yellow.
• Taste: Butternut Squash, Deglet Noor.

Sweetness and Light

Dong Mei is characterized by a sweetness resembling honey in the highest grades offered, a product of the unique production method used by farmers. They allow small green insects, known as leafhoppers or tea jassids, to chew the summer leaves while still growing. This causes the leaves to produce natural insect-repelling compounds that taste like honey and sour-sweet fruit — the more bites, the more honey-like the flavor.

Dong Mei is a regional delicacy and is really only produced in this micro-region. The cultivar, Da Mao, only comprises about 6% of the annual production in Taiwan.

Dong Fang Mei Ren

This tea has been known by many names, including Bai Hao, Oriental Beauty, and Braggart's Tea. According to one story, it was given its name by the Queen of England, who saw the leaves spinning in warm water and remarked that it was like watching a person from the East dancing. We'll leave it up to you to judge the descriptive veracity of the Queen's words or the historical accuracy of the legend.