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Dongfang Meiren () or Bai Hao, also marketed as White Tip Oolong or ''Champagne Oolong'', is a heavily fermented, non-roasted, tip-type oolong tea produced in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. This tea has natural fruity aromas and produces a sweet tasting bright-reddish orange tea liquor without some bitterness. Dried leaves of high quality should exhibit a pleasant aroma with leaf coloration of dark purple and brown tones with white hairs. ==Production== ''Dongfang meiren'' is the ''chhiⁿ-sim tōa-phàⁿ'' (青心大冇) cultivar grown without pesticides to encourage a common pest, the tea green leafhopper (''Jacobiasca formosana''), to feed on the leaves, stems, and buds.〔 These insects suck the phloem juices of the tea stems, leaves, and buds, which leads to the tea plant's production of monoterpene diol and hotrienol that give the tea its unique flavor.〔 The buds then turn white along the edges which gives the tea its alternate name, white tip oolong. The insect bites start the oxidation of the leaves and tips and add a sweet note to the tea. This process has inspired makers of other types of tea such as ''dongding'' oolong tea and the east coast black teas of Hualien and Taitung Counties to withhold pesticide use in order to replicate this process in other teas.〔Stephane Erler. ("A Study of Oriental Beauty". ) Tea Masters Blog. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2012.〕 Similar action of jassids and thrips helps form the muscatel-like flavor of India's second flush Darjeeling tea to which ''dongfang meiren'' is sometimes compared.〔Bornali Gohain et al. "Understanding Darjeeling Tea Flavour on a Molecular Basis". ''Plant Molecular Biology'' 78.6 (2012), 577-597, DOI: 10.1007/s11103-012-9887-0 Retrieved 20 July 2012.〕 Because of the need for ''Jacobiasca formosana'' feeding, the tea must be grown in warmer areas. In Taiwan, it is primarily grown in Hakka areas of the hilly northwestern part of the country at lower altitudes (300–800m) between the mountains and the plains.〔 Beipu and Emei in Hsinchu County are noted centers of production with Beipu being the site of the Beipu Penghong Tea Museum and hosting the annual Penghong Tea Industry and Culture Festival.〔("Hsinchu Tea District" ) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Taiwan Tea Culture website. Retrieved 20 July 2012.〕 The tea bushes are planted on the leeward side of hills in areas with sufficient humidity and sunshine.〔 The tea is only harvested in the middle of summer, only about 40%–50% of the leaves can be used, and the harvest is susceptible to drought.〔 Therefore, the annual yield is low and the price is relatively high.〔 After being harvested from young leaves and tips in the summer, the tea is heavily oxidized (around 70%), approaching the level of black tea. Unlike other oolongs which typically make use of the top four or five leaves and the single bud, ''dongfang meiren'' uses only the bud and two leaves. The moisture content of ''dongfang meiren'' is higher than that of high mountain oolongs so the withering process takes longer. This longer withering period accelerates the hydrolysis and oxidation processes which help generate the typical sweet flavor and taste of this tea. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dongfang Meiren」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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