Why do people use different words to describe coffee and tea aromas?
The honey aroma in honey-scented tea is not added honey or artificial flavoring. It forms only when tea leaves have been bitten and sucked by the green leafhopper and then processed in a specific way. That insect attack is the necessary condition, and the resulting soft, sweet note is sometimes called hopper aroma.
The same mechanism explains why Darjeeling black tea and Taiwan's Oriental Beauty oolong are valued for their fragrance. People describe that aroma in different words: muscat or muscatel for Darjeeling, honey fragrance in Taiwan. Four main categories exist, covering honey-scented green tea, honey-scented black tea, Concubine tea and honey-scented red oolong.
The soft, sweet honey aroma of honey-scented tea often makes people mistakenly believe that honey or artificial flavoring has been added. In fact, scientific research has confirmed that only tea leaves that have been sucked by the green leafhopper can naturally develop this unique honey fragrance during subsequent processing. This article will start with the formation principles of honey-scented tea and systematically introduce four major categories: honey-scented green tea, honey-scented black tea, Concubine tea, and honey-scented red oolong, helping coffee and tea enthusiasts understand the flavor sources and quality characteristics of this special tea type.
What is honey-scented tea?
When ordinary crops are attacked by pests and diseases, their quality and value often decline, but the honey-scented tea series is a rare exception. The question consumers most often ask is: does the honey fragrance come from added honey, or is it naturally produced during tea processing? The scientific community has now given a clear answer—only tea leaf material that has been bitten and sucked by the green leafhopper, and then subjected to specific processing procedures, can produce an aroma similar to natural honey. In other words, the tea buds must have been sucked by the green leafhopper; this is the necessary prerequisite for forming natural honey-scented tea.
The most prominent hallmark of honey-scented tea is that extremely soft, pleasant natural honey fragrance, which some also call "hopper aroma." Because of this, many consumers find it unforgettable once they have tasted honey-scented tea. Darjeeling black tea from India and Taiwan's Oriental Beauty tea are likewise praised as top-grade black tea and top-grade oolong tea for the same reason. When distinguishing complex aromas woven together from intricate chemical components, human senses are far more acute than modern precision analytical instruments, and the overall judgment of many food aromas can only be completed by human senses. Different ethnic groups and cultures describe aromas in different ways. Darjeeling black tea is described as Muscat, Muscatel flavor, or Sweet muscat grape flavor, while Taiwanese people are accustomed to calling it honey fragrance.
Types of honey-scented tea
In recent years, the Tea Research and Extension Station has actively developed a series of honey-scented tea products, including honey-scented green tea, honey-scented black tea, Concubine tea, and honey-scented red oolong, gradually winning consumer favor and ranking as one of Taiwan's emerging specialty tea categories. Looking globally, no other tea-producing country can make such a rich and diverse range of honey-scented teas.
In Taiwan, aside from Oriental Beauty tea, many consumers are still relatively unfamiliar with honey-scented tea. It also uses tea leaves sucked by the green leafhopper as raw material, but to make high-quality Oriental Beauty tea, the conditions are more stringent because of restrictions related to variety, picking methods, and so on, making it more difficult to produce. Honey-scented tea is likewise something that cannot be sought at will, and its prerequisite is also that the tea leaves must have been sucked by the green leafhopper. Therefore, honey-scented tea can be called an alternative premium tea and can also be regarded as an extension of Oriental Beauty tea. The following introduces several types of honey-scented tea:
1. Sweet, smooth, and refreshing honey-scented green tea
When people mention green tea, they usually think of two major characteristics: first, green tea is hailed as having the most outstanding health benefits among all tea types; second, green tea is most faithful to the original flavor, the purest and most natural. Green tea's notable health benefits are mainly attributed to its rich catechin content. Over the past twenty or thirty years, a large number of domestic and international research reports have confirmed that catechins have significant effects in antioxidation, delaying aging, inhibiting cell mutation, preventing cancer, and inhibiting bacteria. Because green tea is an unfermented tea, most components are not destroyed by oxidation during processing, so its catechin content is relatively highest. However, precisely because processing causes little damage, ordinary green tea often carries an obvious grassy odor, raw green note, or astringency, making it hard for many consumers to accept. This is also why green tea, despite being touted as having the best health benefits, has been difficult to popularize in Taiwan. Honey-scented green tea is a newly created green tea developed specifically to address the grassy odor and bitterness commonly found in green tea while also taking health benefits into account.
Honey-scented green tea not only overturns the traditional aroma impression of green tea, but also, because of its unique flavor, leaves a deep memory for many consumers after they taste it. In addition to retaining green tea's original good health benefits, because it is made entirely from tender buds, it is very rich in amino acids, and the tea liquor tastes especially sweet and refreshing; at the same time, because it retains the natural processing methods of green tea, it has no artificial or contrived character at all. If consumers like drinking green tea but find it hard to accept the bitter, astringent taste and obvious grassy odor of traditional green tea, the sweet, smooth, and refreshing honey-scented green tea is worth trying.
2. Elegant and beautiful honey-scented black tea
Black tea is the most adaptable tea type, suitable for both cold and hot drinks, and can be paired with all kinds of spices and fruits, making it truly the femme fatale and magic princess among teas. Traditional black tea emphasizes taste and does not pay much attention to aroma. In response to the shortcomings of black tea, the Taitung Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station used tea leaf material sucked by the green leafhopper to develop honey-scented black tea, which while emphasizing the taste of black tea also enhances its elegant aroma quality. This tea is suitable for both cold and hot drinks, and especially when drunk cold, the honey fragrance is even more mellow. If you want to drink truly good black tea, honey-scented black tea is the best choice. At present, honey-scented black tea has become a specialty tea of the Hualien-Taitung region. In particular, the honey-scented black tea produced in Wuhe Village, Ruisui Township, Hualien County, is of extremely excellent quality and has become a representative tea of Hualien County.
3. Rich and full-bodied Concubine tea
Dongding oolong tea is praised as the tea type with the most lingering charm, while Oriental Beauty tea is known as the most flavorful of all teas. These two famous teas each have their own characteristics and strengths, and both are recognized as top-quality fine teas. So what kind of tea can combine the lingering charm of Dongding oolong with the honey fragrance of Oriental Beauty? The answer is Concubine tea, which has become popular in the Nantou tea region in recent years. The greatest feature of this tea is that it blends the charm of Dongding oolong and displays the honey fragrance of Pengfeng tea. If you like Dongding oolong but feel that its mellowness or aroma is slightly insufficient, then Concubine tea, which combines the respective strengths of Dongding tea and Oriental Beauty tea, is definitely worth tasting.
4. Honey-scented red oolong
Red oolong is an emerging specialty tea of Taiwan developed in 2008 by the Taitung Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station. After its launch, it was widely loved and praised by consumers and became a shining new star in the tea world. Red oolong combines the processing characteristics and quality features of oolong tea and black tea. Its degree of fermentation can be said to be the highest among current oolong teas, and it is also a local specialty tea of Taiwan after strip-shaped pouchong, Oriental Beauty, and semi-ball-shaped pouchong tea. Red oolong has a semi-ball shape, a dark red glossy appearance, and a bright orange-red liquor color like black tea, yet its taste is that of oolong tea. The tea body is thick and carries ripe fruit aroma, with a sweet entrance and lively character. It is suitable for both cold brewing and hot brewing, and cold brewing especially highlights its characteristics.
The bud and leaf conditions for making red oolong are not easily restricted by factors such as season, variety, or pests and diseases. Therefore, tea gardens can avoid spraying pesticides, and even if affected by pests and diseases, they can still produce high-quality red oolong, making it very suitable for promotion in all seasons and in organic tea gardens. In particular, tea buds sucked by the green leafhopper produce red oolong with a rich honey fragrance, which is quite appealing. At present, red oolong is produced in volume only in Taitung County. By 2015, output had exceeded 50,000 Taiwanese catties, and it has become a representative tea of Taitung County.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
