How does Bug Bitten Tea Taste?

[@4everharvey]

Just recently I've got my hands on a bug bitten black tea from Chang Mai in Thailand. It was the first thai tea that ive ever tasted and in my opinion it could easily match up with a decent oriental beauty while beeing much more affordable. definitly a reminder to taste lesser known teas.

[@amb600cd0]

where are good places to order lesser known but good quality teas? im in the US for context

[@joetexas1546]

Eastern Beauty is second amoung my Favorite loose-leaf Teas.

[@vegahimsa3057]

My favourite tea from around 2010. Been chasing the dragon ever since.

[@Alondro77]

You never catch the dragon! ;D

[@roblesoncrusoe9254]

It's Just the best....never had the Oriental Beauty, drank a guifei once, it blew my mind

[@AhimSaah]

What if a bug-bitten pink unicorn from space poops pink cotton candy into my gaiwan whilst the tea is brewing?

[@MeiLeaf]

Depends on the water temperature, unicorn cotton candy poop is usually best at hot temps but Bug-Bitten unicorns have extra delicate poop that need you to brew with caution to bring out that space-air aroma.

[@Alondro77]

@@MeiLeaf Is that similar to how they make civet coffee. XD

[@ongoingmartin]

Ooh, yeah! Big fan of Gui Fei. 🥳

[@jackkennard4539]

One of my favorites! As a matter of fact, I'm finishing off some competition-grade, about 3 yrs old, and can't find any today. I'll have to visit your store, online, of course.

[@meekGiant]

Hey Don, thanks for the video! I've been waiting for this since I love Gui Fei :) It fell in love the moment I tasted the tea back in 2018 because that batch smelled and tasted literally like gingerbread. It had beautiful aromatics which included, honey, clove and slight cinnamon and I was blown away. Have you tasted Gui Fei with similar notes? I've been looking for one ever since, but haven't found one like that.

[@MeiLeaf]

Sounds like one with a slightly heavier roast which I have tasted before. It's a choice at roasting to either hold onto the fruits with no/low roasting or go further to enhance the spice and resins. Search for a high roast Gui Fei and you may find one that matches your memory.

[@meekGiant]

@@MeiLeaf Thank you! Didn't know these taste notes were thanks to heavier roasting. I will definetly search for some now :)

[@bosco9291]

I hope I'm not geeking out too much here, but... I think the medicinal note you are talking about is very well described... it is a phenolic medicinal note also found, for instance, in the compound Para-cresol, which for me is the phenol molecule that is most typically phenolic. If you haven't already tried smelling it on it's own, you can get it in small amounts from various shops online. I am also curious to how phenols come into play in tea, looking forward to explore that. Thank you for spreading the knowledge!

[@MeiLeaf]

No such thing as over-geeking on this channel. Thanks I will look up getting a vial of phenols.

[@bosco9291]

@@MeiLeaf Glad to hear it :) perfumersworld.com is a source I use, although a bit cumbersome ordering system/site. they have quite a big selection and you can order really minute amounts.

[@clenchedfist17]

Your Eastern Beauty (June 2003) was one of my first true teas, and it was almost a spiritual experience. Not only the taste but also the effects. It was pure joy and peacefulness. Do you think the Honey Duchess might give similar effects? (Your teas help me a lot with my depression, so thank you a thousand times for that.)

[@MeiLeaf]

There are a lot of similarities in taste in terms of honeyed and fruity aromatics. The Honey Duchess is more rounded and warmer though

[@Alondro77]

Hmm, insect damage does cause plants to release all manner of phytochemicals in response... I've noted that leaf vegetables with bug nibbles on many of them taste different... but that could just be the absence of pesticide residue.

[@shocky144]

I love your videos but as a tea rookie and no knowledge of the chinese language I often can't interpret the spelling of the chinese teas you talk about. A simple pop-in would help. I want to learn but sometimes I only hear "mao sheng fao ding fiao sho fo". I don't know how to research or buy that tea if I can't understand it.

[@guillermolledowolkowicz7085]

Orchidity is the illness I read about in an article called "The Orchidiots". We can't stop talking about orchids because they're too interesting.

[@Viniter]

Oh, I was just drinking Gui Fei oolong as I came across this video! :D

[@dominikernsthofer1188]

Hey Don, I have a serious question. I live in Austria but do you know a legit school or teacher where i can learn how to make a proper tea ceremony and get an offical degree of something similar? Because i want to make tea Sessions for weddings, birthdays etc. AS a sidegig. All Help is appretiated. Your fellow teahead

[@MeiLeaf]

I don't personally know a teacher but it depends on how ritualised you want the ceremony to be and if you want Japanese or Chinese. I think that much can be learned by yourself and maybe I could find someone who studied this in China to make more formal videos.

[@dominikernsthofer1188]

@@MeiLeaf First of all thank you for the fast answer. I find someone in Taiwan but the currently dont offer courses. The KZbin Channel is called global tea hut

[@noveltybynaaz]

Hi Dominik & Don , did you manage to find a teacher or a certification program? I’m interested too and I live in Luxembourg. Happy to travel across Europe for a short period to learn. Thanks

[@brian0823]

Different bugs make tea with different flavor, only green fly can make tea taste sweet, others make tea bitter, spicy or some bad tastes.

[@amazingfincher]

how is that?? 🤯

[@christmanfamily]

I see your back to using the Kamjove kettle 👀

[@forteandblues]

Yay new video!!!

[@22otakar]

Hello Don, what is price of these two teas? you say in video you will tell the price but finally you did not. I am asking because I would like to compare with the eastern beauty I can get in CzRep. Thank you

[@MeiLeaf]

Oriental Beauty of a good quality usually starts at around 0.6 USD per gram and Guuf Fei about half the price.

[@brian0823]

And only camellia sinensis var. sinesis deliver remarkable sweetness after bitten by green fly. Assamica are very less affected.

[@TheFloaterjoe]

The opposite of pesticides haha

[@darriangario3447]

Brewing starts around 20:48 ( after rinse)

[@rincosmerta]

29:28 That is a very interesting way to sell more of your Gaiwans. Advising right handed people to use their left hand to pour, so they can break 'em and buy new ones. Sorry, this interesting thought came to mind when I watched that part, and yes, it was a joke :).

[@Ladycooks]

Plants talk, indeed I think signaling is crop talk

[@amazingfincher]

That's one of the reasons organic food tastes better and has more nutriens, bc with pesticides no bug bites :)

[@chr1staki]

🐛

[@LangCashman]

Double drop session 😅