High Mountain Concubine Oolong Tea

US$26

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  • Flavor: Roasted yams aroma. Honey roasted pecans, warming spices, and fruit compote flavor profile. Dry, heady finish.


    Garden: This batch of Concubine Oolong Tea was procured by our source of Lugu Competition Dong Ding Oolong Tea. He roasted it with skill and finesse. It's from a plot of tea in the Alishan tea-growing region. The farmer allowed his second flush to mature without administering pesticides, offering us a fine bug-bitten tea!


    Harvest: Hand-picked, singular batch. Summer 2023. Meishan, Taiwan.


    Elevation: 1300m

  • The most commonly noted flavor of Concubine Oolong is a honey-like quality. However, the bug effect that is integral to Concubine tea can be more varied than just honey notes. This batch is more fruity and pastry, with a pine aroma. This is balanced by substantial astringency to give it a clean, bright finish. This batch is a relatively light roast, undergoing two roasting with a few months between the two roasting to allow the tea to "settle" into its composition. Concubine is a fitting name in that the tea has a fickle, unpredictable character when it comes to roasting. 

    This type of tea is also known for its brewing power. Less leaves can be used than the standard amount to brew a high mountain tea. It will brew a strong cup that should be monitored to not over brew, and it also will yield considerably more brews than a normal oolong.

  • An elusive type of tea that varies with each batch made, from season to season – depending on the presence of a small insect. Concubine Oolong is the result of the leaves being bitten by a tiny green fly, called a leaf hopper, during growing season. This instigates an immune system response in the plant, resulting in a unique flavor. Normally, this bug is deterred by the regulated use of a water soluble pesticide sprayed on the plants early in the growing season. More and more, farmers are allowing their plants to go unsprayed at least one season in the year. Typically this is done after spring harvest.

    In Northern Taiwan, a more common name for "bug bitten" tea is Oriental Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren). Oriental Beauty is made from a different Oolong varietal than the Green Heart Oolong that is cultivated for high mountain tea in Central Taiwan. Concubine also differs from Oriental Beauty in that the Concubine leaves are tightly rolled in the manner of a Taiwan Oolong, rather than the traditional mainland China method of curled, open leaves. Tight rolling is a Taiwanese innovation that protects and preserves the tea.

     

Customer Reviews

Based on 22 reviews
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(20)
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g
guy tedesco
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: that it was in an into kit and not a separate purchase.
Improvements: n/a
one of the oolongs samples in the intro kit

i have experience drinking teas from high mountain regions and must be honest and say for the price i have had more enjoyable gong fu sessions.

R
Rochelle Spiegel
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: Flavor
Excellent bug bitten oolong

I love this tea! I brewed it 6g/100ml in a porcelain gaiwan. I don't wash my tea, steeped first 2 infusions for 30 s, then added 5 secs. Incredible honey flavor. After the first taste I came back and ordered 2 more boxes!

E
Elias
Pleasant, sweet

It's a tea I'm happy to drink all the time, but it's nothing special and lacks complexity. Not sure it's worth the price point.

P
Paul Chow
Experience with different oolong tea

I recently tried 4 oolong tea,Traditional Dong Ding,Dong Ding, Lugu Competition, and High Mountain Concubine Oolong tea. Dong Ding is nice, good for every day drinking. I find the Traditional Dong Ding a bit light for my taste but both the Lugu Competition and Concubine are excellent. Flavor is still strong even after the 3rd brew. Can't decide which I like better, both number 1.

D
Dan G
Excellent tea

Very similar to the description, pastry with underlying honey sweetness. Probably one of my favorite teas from any vendor. It’s one of those teas that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside with happiness and contentment. Could drink this all day every day. Perfectly balanced.