Taiwan Muscat Black Tea
A small gift from PIIP — black tea grown in Sanxia, New Taipei City.
A tea shaped by a tiny insect
To keep the tea leaves free of pesticides, growers in Sanxia District use the Chin-hsin Kan-tzu (small-leaf) cultivar and leave the plants unsprayed for five to ten months after harvest. During that time the tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda) feeds on the new shoots.
The bitten shoots go through a series of natural changes. After careful processing and baking by tea craftsmen, the leaves develop a light, natural fruit aroma with a muscat note — which is how this tea got its name.
Only from Sanxia
Unlike Assam or Ruby black teas grown elsewhere, the fresh leaves come from the Chin-hsin Kan-tzu cultivar, and Sanxia is the only place in Taiwan that makes black tea from it. What you taste is the flavor of the leaf itself rather than roasting: sweet in the throat, rounded, and not astringent.
Sanxia muscat black tea won the gold medal in the black tea category of the 2006 World Famous Tea Competition.
How to brew
Use water at 80 °C and steep for about 30 seconds, until the tea turns orange.