Himalayan Donkey Oriental Beauty tea is a unique version of Taiwanese beauty – less oxidized, more wild and without the bug-bitten part. It’s very different and similar at the same time to the original oriental beauty.
Name: Himalayan Donkey
Tea Vendor: Teabento (Germany)
Type: Nepalese oolong tea
Journey of the Himalayan Donkey Oriental Beauty Tea
Himalayan Donkey Oriental Beauty tea is the Nepalese take on the Taiwanese Oriental Beauty. They do have some similarities in appearance, with a bit bigger and more wild and raw looking leaves, and white tips. Leaves look very interesting, curly, brown-greenish and big. Scent of dry leaves is more similar to Darjeeling black tea than to the regular oriental beauty, but with more freshness and a touch of green oolong soul. It’s made from the qing xin varietal, which is definitely one of the varietals that are the easiest to recognize. The difference is not only in the terrior. Himalayan Donkey Oriental Beauty tea leaves didn’t get bitten by bugs. Price is 8.90 EUR for 25 grams.
Let’s have a bath
Brewing: 5 grams, 150 ml, water temperature 90 degrees Celsius, 2, 1, 3, 5 min steeping
In the heated teapot scent changes completely. Almost like an amazing cereal and corn baked pie stuffed with raw apples and full of deep sweetness. After the first steep leaves have a very interesting light scent, recognizable qing xin soul and spicy background. Gives me the feeling that Taiwan moved to Himalayas. Color is bright golden. Scent is very interesting, light, but with a lot of complexity going on, spicy, sweet and green mix. It can get a bit bitter so it’s very important to watch both time and temperature. Fruity floral spicy flavor is very interesting to the original Taiwanese oriental beauty, but much more green, fresh and light. Second infusion is quite similar. Leaves start to fade after, but they still do give quite a nice result with the third steep. Wet leaves look so pretty, bright green, like chopped cabbage with small tips sticking out.
Himalayan Donkey oriental beauty tea is very interesting. I would say it’s much closer to regular gao shan qing xin tea than to a regular dong fang mei ren. It has a touch of oriental beauty, but Himalayan personality. It’s much greener from the original.
I still don’t know in which category to put it. It’s not really an everyday tea, not really a dessert tea, not really a morning tea, and not really an evening tea. Somehow, it seems good for any occasion – when you want to have something different from the usual stuff, but not too overwhelming. Really an interesting tea.
