Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty)

Bai Hao has always held a special place in my heart because it was the tea that made me truly fall in love with tea. This tea goes by many names, including Bai Hao, Oriental Beauty, Peng Feng Oolong, Champagne Oolong, and many more. But when I first discovered it, it was broadly available and generically called "Formosa Oolong."

Back then, bug bitten teas were limited to just a couple of varieties, Bai Hao being the most famous. Each year, you could expect to find a good Bai Hao with the distinct stone fruit aroma and sweetness that makes this tea so memorable. Now, with changing weather patterns and increasingly unpredictable leafhopper populations in Taiwan, finding a good Bai Hao has become much more challenging. The result for Bai Hao lovers is a tea that has become vastly more difficult to find at the flavor profile standards we've come to expect, and one that now comes with a much higher price.

I find myself struggling more and more each year to find a Bai Hao that meets my criteria. It's become the most complicated tea for me to source. But when I do find it, I feel relief and gratitude that we can share one of my favorite teas for another year.

Long Steep
SCOOP | 3 gm or 2 heaping tsp per 8oz water
POUR | 190° water over leaves
STEEP | 3 min

Gongfu
SCOOP | 3 gm or 2 heaping tsp per 8oz water
POUR | 190° water over leaves
RINSE | steep for 5 seconds and discard liquid to awaken leaves
POUR| 190° water over leaves again
STEEP | 5-10 seconds and strain into fair cup/pitcher to share or enjoy alone
Rebrew several times to enjoy how the tea evolves with each additional steeping.

Steeping instructions are a starting point for how to make this tea. We encourage you to play around with the tea quantity or steeping time to customize the brew for your taste.

• Fruity
• Honey
• Floral

• Oolong tea