Honey-scented high mountain tea, medium fermentation
Unparalleled aroma of ripe fruit and sweetness like a fine liqueur
Honey-scented high mountain tea is made using only tea leaves that have been sucked by planthoppers in Alishan tea plantations, and is made using the delicate techniques used for making high mountain tea.
The fruity aroma of ripe mangoes and the sweet taste of Cointreau make this tea seem like a modern rebirth of Formosa Tea. It is a tea with a strong personality that foreshadows a revolution in Taiwanese tea.
This product, which rarely leaves Taiwan, is now available in limited quantities.
Product Details
Honey-scented Takayama tea is not available every year because it is made only from tea leaves that have been attacked by planthoppers.
When tea leaves are attacked by planthoppers, they produce a substance called phytoalexin, which is similar to antibodies in humans, and protects the leaves from the insects' attack.
However, when these tea leaves are fermented, they surprisingly produce a sweet, honey-like aroma, similar to that of muscat.
This is thought to be because fermentation oxidizes phytoalexins, turning them into substances similar to the aromatic components of fruit.
In the case of honey-scented high mountain tea, there are no tea farms dedicated to honey-scented high mountain tea; rather, tea farms that happen to have a large infestation of planthoppers are selected and the tea is specially produced.
For this reason, factors such as the occurrence of planthoppers and the weather of the year have a significant impact on the quality and aroma of the tea, and depending on the year, it may not be possible to procure honey-scented high mountain tea.
For this reason, the aroma and quality of this tea varies each time it is purchased.
We would like to continue selling this tea, but since we cannot offer the same tea every year, in a sense it belongs to the category of a limited edition product.
"It's like falling into a beehive."
The scent is sweet, reminiscent of ripe mangoes.
When you take a sip of this light yellow tea, your mouth will be filled with the sweet aroma of ripe fruit. One customer was so impressed that they said, "It's like I've fallen into a beehive." This tea has such a sweet aroma.
The taste is like a high-quality liqueur
This tea has a pleasant bitterness. It is not the polyphenol-based bitterness of Japanese tea, but a refined, almost liqueur-like taste.
When you taste it with its sweet aroma, it feels more like you're drinking a high-quality liqueur than tea.
What is the true nature of fruity scent?
As the small green planthoppers suck the juice from the tea leaves, they turn yellow, looking like ripe fruit.
At this time, the tea leaves produce a substance equivalent to antibodies to fight against the planthoppers. This substance is the true nature of the characteristic fruity aroma, muscatel aroma, or honey aroma, as it is called in Chinese.
A rare and limited edition tea created with passion for high mountain tea
Honey-scented high mountain tea is not a commonly produced tea in Taiwan.
HOJO's Taiwanese supplier is run by a tea expert and entrepreneur who is very passionate about innovation.
This tea is an original product born from his passion for high mountain tea, and is not available at ordinary tea shops.
You can make up to 1 liter of tea from just one spoon.
Like other high mountain teas, you can brew from one spoonful to a liter of tea. Enjoy the sweet, luxurious aroma with multiple infusions. Although the tea is expensive, it is surprisingly economical when you consider the cost per cup.
How about this special, highly fragrant high mountain tea? We recommend it with dessert or for a slightly luxurious tea time.
Below is an explanation of the raw material, honey-scented high mountain tea, before it is roasted.
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