A unique type of plant that increases in price 13 times when bitten by bugs. Only a few provinces in Vietnam can grow it.

Strangely enough, after being bitten by insects, this plant produces a specialty that is rarely found anywhere else .

The Birth of the Queen of Tea

In the process of growing tea, the problem of pests and diseases is one of the issues that farmers are most concerned about. Because pests and diseases affect the development as well as the quality of tea products. In particular, green leafhoppers are the type of pests that often cause the greatest damage to tea plants.

However, according to Vnexpress, in Phja Den (pronounced Phia Den) , Thanh Cong commune, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang, tea farmers here do not consider green leafhoppers as pests. On the contrary, they are an important factor in creating a type of tea known as the queen of teas. That is Oriental Beauty Tea.

These tea trees, after being bitten by green leafhoppers, became a rare type of tea. (Photo: Love Vietnamese Tea).

In fact, Oriental Beauty Tea is a famous tea originating from Taiwan (China). According to the Chinese Baidu website, Oriental Beauty Tea originally appeared in the late 19th century. The birth of this tea originated from a very coincidental reason.

At that time, Taiwan (China) was very famous for its delicious tea products. Hsinchu was a place where many special teas were grown. In the summer, most of the tea hills were damaged by green leafhoppers. The damaged tea plants were refused to be purchased by merchants because they were considered spoiled and of poor quality.

There was a farmer who, out of regret for his efforts in taking care of his plants, decided to process these tea leaves that had been eaten by aphids . Surprisingly, the bitten tea leaves gave off a very attractive, gentle aroma. After becoming tea, he brought this tea to introduce to a British businessman named John Dodd. According to historical records, merchant John Dodd brought this tea back to England and presented it to the royal family as a gift to enjoy. After tasting the flavor of the tea, Queen Elizabeth II of England saw the tea leaves as dancing dancers, the tea water as fragrant as the beauty of an Oriental girl, so she named it "Oriental Beauty" . Since then, Oriental Beauty tea has taken the tea market by storm.

The bitten tea leaves give off a very attractive, gentle aroma. (Photo: Mrs. Van's Tea)

According to another legend, "Oriental Beauty" is a delicious tea that the gods carefully arranged for the human world. Every year, people only pick tea leaves before and after the Duanwu Festival. This type of plant grows in areas that are sheltered from wind and humidity, have enough sunlight, are fresh, and are not polluted. The most delicious leaves are "nhat tam nhi diep" (one heart and two leaves) that have bite marks from "tieu luc hiep thien" (a type of green hopper).

In addition to the name Oriental Beauty, this tea also has other names such as Bai Hao, Bach Hao or Bach Hac Oolong, because the finished product still retains the layer of white fluff surrounding the young buds.

The perfect combination

Oriental Beauty Tea is a combination of Oolong and Black Tea with an oxidation level of 60-70%. The tea buds must be from pure Oolong tea plants that have been bitten by a type of green leafhopper called Tea Green Leafhopper to suck the sap. According to scientists, there are more than 10 different types of leafhoppers, but only a few types of green leafhoppers can produce Oriental Beauty Tea . After being bitten by a type of green leafhopper , this type of tea is 13 times more expensive than regular Oolong tea.

To create Oriental Beauty Tea, the tea buds must come from pure Oolong tea plants that have been bitten by a type of green leafhopper called Tea green leafhopper to suck the sap. (Photo: Sohu).

From this characteristic, we can see that the tea trees used to produce Oriental Beauty Tea must be grown in a completely natural environment and without chemicals . Because the green leafhopper can only bite and destroy tea areas that are not sprayed with chemicals. Thus, it can be said that Oriental Beauty Tea is a natural organic tea.

In addition, the tea buds bitten by green leafhoppers will only grow in the fifth lunar month and to harvest the required tea buds, they must be picked manually at certain times. When harvesting, only the buds and 2 young leaves next to them are picked, but only 40-50% of the harvested leaves are used.

After harvesting the tea buds, many other complicated steps must be performed. Including very elaborate and meticulous drying under the hands of experienced tea makers for 2 to 3 days and nights without rest. Because the raw materials for tea processing depend entirely on nature, the output of Dong Phuong My Nhan is quite rare and has a relatively high price. In the past, there was a time when 15kg of Dong Phuong My Nhan tea was worth an entire house.

In ancient times, there was a time when 15kg of Oriental Beauty Tea was worth as much as a house. (Photo: Ý Trà Quán)

The appeal of Oriental Beauty Tea lies in its unique honey-scented and fruity flavor . The water is amber in color, with a delicate honey-scented taste. According to expert analysis, tea leaves that have been bitten by leafhoppers will secrete their own substances to heal the wound. At the same time, they also secrete a substance with a special scent to attract the natural enemies of leafhoppers. After that, the shape of the leaves will change, the color of the leaves will turn yellow, and the flavor will change to the smell of ripe fruit.

Oriental Beauty Tea is a precious and extremely popular tea because of its good quality, special flavor and many health benefits. For women, Oriental Beauty Tea brings a youthful, even-toned and vibrant skin because of its ability to slow down the aging process, provide many nutrients to the skin to help prevent the formation of wrinkles, as well as anti-inflammatory, prevent acne, reduce dark spots.

According to experts' analysis, tea leaves bitten by green leafhoppers will secrete their own substances to heal the wound. (Photo: Vo Uu Tra)

This type of tea also helps reduce fatigue, bringing relaxation to the body throughout the day . Oriental Beauty Tea contains many Polyphenols contained in tea that help the body fight against the invasion of free radicals. Cardiovascular health is improved, the ability to control bad cholesterol levels helps prevent diabetes, obesity and stroke. In addition, drinking a cup of Oriental Beauty Tea every day also has a great effect on the digestive tract, helping the metabolism process to take place faster, the body absorbs better.

This type of tea is only available in a few provinces in Vietnam.

According to Vnexpress, in Vietnam, the Phja Den highland located in the Southeast of Cao Bang province is a very suitable place to grow tea trees to create the Oriental Beauty tea. The isolated location creates the Kolia tea area on the top of Phja Den, separate from factors that harm the quality of the crop.

Oriental Beauty Tea originates from Taiwan, China. (Photo: Sohu)

This 20ha tea estate is located on the mountainside at an altitude of 1,300m to 1,900m above sea level. Nighttime temperatures here are less than half of daytime temperatures; in winter, they can drop to near zero degrees Celsius. The large difference results in thicker, darker green tea leaves than lower tea estates. These thicker leaves tend to produce fuller-bodied teas with a more pronounced mouthfeel, often accompanied by a buttery note.

With such climatic conditions, the process of nutrient metabolism of the plant also takes place more specifically. Many substances are formed and accumulated, for example the amino acid theanine. When tea leaves receive enough sunlight, theanine will transform into catechin and polyphenol. However, in high mountains, where there is a constant rotation of day - night, dew - sunlight, this biological process is often interrupted, causing the theanine content in tea leaves here to be higher than in other regions.

In Vietnam, the Phja Den highland region in the southeast of Cao Bang province is a very suitable place to grow tea trees to create the Oriental Beauty tea. (Photo: Oolong Tea)

Tea growing on Phja Den almost all year round does not need watering because of high humidity and heavy rain. Water is mixed in the dew, condenses on the grass, and the thick carpet underfoot. Only in the dry months do we use additional water from the stream.

The main source of fertilizer for tea plants is animal manure and vegetable waste grown here. Thanks to the balanced ecosystem, pests such as green leafhoppers and thrips are controlled by natural enemies.

In addition to Phja Den, tea regions such as Lam Dong, Moc Chau - Son La . have also been successful in growing tea trees to create the famous Oriental Beauty tea. (Photo: Oolong Tea)

Currently, the production of Oriental Beauty Tea in Vietnam is not much , the price is relatively high and is mainly sold to fans of this type of tea. Hopefully in the future, the Oolong tea trees that produce the famous Oriental Beauty Tea in Vietnam will successfully conquer diners, creating a strong position in the domestic and international tea market.