Lightning Bug

Like fireflies on a summer evening, this tea will entrance you.

On our latest trip to Taiwan, we visited the farm that grows this tea.  A portion of the farm is dedicated to an all natural growing method: no pesticides, no fertilizer, no weeding, and simply letting nature do its thing.  The picking style includes buds, single leaf, two leaves, and large leaves -- all are used in making this tea.

This type of oolong is often called "bug-bitten".  You can see it in the leaves once they unfurl - jagged edges where they've been bitten.  The tea plants will naturally defend themselves against such attacks by changing their chemistry.  One effect is to produce more caffeine, but the flavors change as well.  The result is a beautifully rich and complex oolong.