Amrita

This unusual and rare tea comes from tea trees in Taiwan that are bitten by bugs in Summer and Spring, which triggers the plant’s self-defense mechanism, initiating the production of terpenes. Terpenes act as an insect-repellent and attract natural predators to these insects. One such terpene, hotrienol, is also found in honey, grapes, roses, and second-flush Darjeeling, for example, and is understood to be responsible for the highly desirable muscatel aroma.

The picking and processing of Mi Xiang red tea is similar to that of Jin Xuan oolong, except that it undergoes light crushing and no kill-green phase, thereby promoting and allowing full oxidation, thus qualifying it as a red tea. Unlike most red teas, however, we recommend brewing this one at lower temperature and using longer steeping times as this helps accentuate the musky, sweet-sour, grape-like flavors.

Origin: Nantou, Taiwan