Dongfang Meiren tea is a Chinese tea that resembles an oolong and black tea. It’s the best of both worlds. Those who love oolong and those who love black tea tend to appreciate the flavors in Dongfang Meiren tea more than those who aren’t fans of either kind.
This type of tea has several other names, like Oriental Beauty, White-Tip Oolong, and Eastern Beauty. Regardless of the name, it’s all the same delicious tea with intense flavors that those who appreciate the natural flavors of tea will enjoy. Here’s everything you need to know about Dongfang Meiren tea.
Where is Dongfang Meiren Tea From?
Even though Dongfang Meiren tea is a Chinese oolong tea, it’s primarily farmed in the highlands of Taiwan, where the other oolong teas are made. The primary area where this type of tea is cultivated is in Hsinchu County, Taiwan.
When making this tea, farmers use a specific insecticide to encourage the common pes, the tea jassid, to eat the leaves, buds, and stems. While this might seem odd because most people want to keep pests away from their crops, this is essential to getting the Dongfang Meiren tea to taste like it’s supposed to.
The pests drink the juices from the leaves, buds, and stems, which causes the plant’s defense production of hotrienol and monoterpene diol to produce. This is what gives the tea its unique flavor.
What Does Dongfang Meiren Tea Taste Like?
Since Dongfang Meiren tea has pests biting at the leaves, what on Earth does this tea taste like? Well, the unique flavors of this type of tea include natural honey and fruity flavor. It even smells fruity when you’re brewing it. It is naturally pretty sweet when compared to other oolong or black teas.
The tea looks red/orange when you brew it, and there shouldn’t be any bitterness in the flavor. The only time that can happen is when you steep the leaves for too long.
How To Make Dongfang Meiren Tea Taste Better
Most serious tea drinkers will tell you that you don’t have to add anything to Dongfang Meiren tea to make it taste better because it is naturally delicious. While that’s their opinion, everyone’s taste buds are different.
We do recommend taking a sip or two of the tea without additives to assess how you like it before experimenting with new flavors. If you’ve tasted the tea and want to improve the taste, here are a few things you can add to the tea.
Lemon
With fruity and floral notes, adding lemon is a great idea to this tea. You can go with juice or slices. We prefer a hint of lemon juice to balance the sweetness with a bit of acidity. The pieces will add minimal flavoring, but they add a touch of it and make a beautiful garnish if you have company over when you’re serving the tea.
Sugar
Most people will tell you that Dongfang Meiren tea is naturally sweet, but it’s not going to be sweet like when you add sugar to something. If you need a little extra sweetness, there’s nothing wrong with adding sugar to your cup of tea. You’ll want to start small to ensure you don’t make it unbearably sweet and undrinkable, though.
Honey
Honey is an excellent option if you want your tea sweeter without using sugar. It melts seamlessly into a hot cup of tea and tastes delicious in combination with the tea’s natural flavors.
Milk
If you prefer a creamier texture, then adding milk is a great way to achieve it. You won’t need a lot, but you can use whatever type of milk you prefer. You should add a little bit of sugar to the milk to help balance out the flavors.
How To Brew Dongfang Meiren Tea
Dongfang Meiren tea takes longer to brew than other oolong teas, but it’s still pretty quick. Here’s an easy way to brew Dongfang Meiren tea:
- Pour your water into a pot (you can use however much water you need for however many cups you’re trying to make)
- Heat your water to 175 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit
- Add three grams of Dongfang Meiren tea leaves for every 250 ml of water
- Let them steep for three to five minutes (the longer you steep, the stronger the flavors)
- Remove the tea leaves
- Add any additional ingredients (optional)
- Pour into cups and serve!
Caffeine Content of Dongfang Meiren Tea
Like all other oolong teas, Dongfang Meiren tea has caffeine content. This type of tea differs from other oolong teas because the caffeine content is considered moderate to high when compared to similar teas since the composition is also close to a black tea.
The actual caffeine content will vary from brand to brand and how the tea was farmed. Generally, you can expect one cup of Dongfang Meiren tea to have about 60 to 90 mg of caffeine.
Carbohydrate Content of Dongfang Meiren Tea
It’s hard to pinpoint the number of carbs a cup of Dongfang Meiren tea has because it can vary from brand to brand. It can also change depending on whether you add any additional ingredients to your tea. Generally, it’s a pretty low number, but if you’re watching your carb intake, you’ll want to read the packaging carefully.
Calories in Dongfang Meiren Tea
For those looking for a delicious low-calorie tea, then you’ll probably love Dongfang Meiren tea. The tea naturally has zero calories, so you can consume it to your heart’s content without worrying about counting the calories for your weight loss journey. Be sure to include any calories from additional ingredients if you add them to your tea.
Final Thoughts
Dongfang Meiren tea is a delicious oolong tea that has similarities with black teas, making it a unique choice for tea drinkers. It’s got a wonderful flavor and high caffeine content, but no calories. While it’s not for everyone, it’s a tea that needs to be tried at least once in your lifetime.
