Organic Da Ye Bug-Bitten "Lily of the Valley" Oolong

$33.00 USD

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Tasting notes

About these tasting notes

These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.

Floral Hints

Brioche

Pistachio

Plum

Effects

About these effects

These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.

Mild Body High

Relax

Soothe

Da Ye Oolong (大叶乌龙) cultivar became one of Taiwan's historic Four Great Cultivars, alongside Qingxin Oolong, Qingxin Damao and Hard-Stem Red Heart. It was originally prized for its versatility and hearty growth capabilities, suited to make several types of tea including "Honey Black" or "Red Oolong". This tea plant eventually moved to a tea production center in the southeast of Taiwan called Taitung. It has also contributed to the lineage of other teas, including as a "grandparent" plant of TTES No. 20 (Ying Xiang).

The leaves are characteristically large and substantial, the thick leaf tissue also contributes to a unique quality for this tea. The plant compound, Pectin, can often be found in the actual tea leaves and can add a pleasant viscosity to the final result of the brewed tea! This Da Ye Oolong thus has a remarkably soft, rounded, almost syrup-like texture. It does not feel intense like a heavily charcoal-roasted tea. Instead, the texture is smooth and silky, carrying sweetness across the whole mouth before disappearing into a clean finish, and a bright aftertaste.

Grown in Luye Township, Taitung, and produced in spring 2025, this small-batch tea was lightly bug-bitten, lightly oxidized and lightly roasted—very unusual combination since most of this tea is typically processed into the local specialty "Red Oolong". The taste is refreshing and full of botanicals, with a distinctive buttery poundcake aroma, honey-like sweetness, ripe fruit and the very interesting mouth-feel from the syrupy texture. All of that makes this a very interesting historical tea cultivar, but also means this tea is a very unique way to become acquainted with a new region of Taiwan's Tea growing areas.

Staff Notes:

This tea is particularly special because last year we processed this tea alongside some Taiwan Tea pros. It has a rich delicious flavor, a satisfying aftertaste, and steeps up to 12 times very well. A real treat for an oolong connoisseur.

Most tea today is roasted using an electric method, because it is faster, cheaper, and requires less skill, thus making it more consistent. This tea was roasted the traditional way: by an artisan's hand, over charcoal embers, using low heat over the course of many days under careful supervision. It takes far more knowledge, fuel, and time than electric roasting, but it rewards the tea with deeper flavor and the ability to age gracefully for decades.

This tea's honeyed, fruit-forward character isn't an additive — it comes from insects. Leafhoppers feed only on gardens grown without pesticides, and their bites trigger the plant to release aromatic compounds no processing technique can fake. The tradeoff: bitten leaves are smaller and far less abundant, so gardens that allow this yield a fraction of a normal harvest.

Old Mountain Tea Guarantee

Our teas are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals. We source directly from small, clean family farms that take real pride in their work — no middlemen, no anonymous blends. Many of these teas are bug-bitten, and leafhoppers only feed on gardens grown without pesticides, so the leaf itself is living proof the garden is clean. Every tea is grown to organic standards and traceable to the farm that made it.

Read our full guarantee →

Rare Processing MethodOrganic FarmsSmall Batch ProductionHand-harvested & ProcessedNo Added Flavors or Preservatives — Ever!Secure Checkout30-day Returns

Certified Organic — USDA & EU

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Origin & Terroir

Cultivar About this cultivar A historic Taiwanese cultivar selected during the Japanese era and once counted among Taiwan’s “Four Great Cultivars.” Today it is especially associated with eastern Taiwan, where it is used for oolong, honey black tea, and red oolong. Its lineage is significant: Da Ye Oolong was used as a parent in the development of TTES No. 2 and No. 11, and through later breeding lines contributed to TTES Nos. 16, 17, and 20 (Ying Xiang). Despite its name, Taiwanese Da Ye Oolong is a *Camellia sinensis var. sinensis* small-leaf type—not the genetically distinct Yunnan “Da Ye” large-leaf tea (*C. sinensis* var. *assamica*), which is associated with Yunnan’s ancient big-leaf tea populations.: Da Ye Oolong(大葉烏龍) (literally, "big leaf oolong")
Status About this status Most Da Ye Oolong is processed as simply "Red Oolong" and rarely turned into a lightly oxidized, bug bitten, and charcoal roasted oolong.: Rare
Processing method: Lightly Oxidized
Charcoal roast level Why charcoal roasting costs more Roasted by hand over low charcoal embers across multiple sessions and days, far slower than electric roasting. It deepens flavor and lets the tea age well, which is why charcoal-roasted teas cost more.: (25% · Medium)

Region: Yong'an Village, Luye Township, Taitung County, Taiwan
Harvest: Spring 2025
Elevation: 770 meters
Climate: Warm, Temperate
Oxidation level What oxidation level means Oxidation is what turns green tea into oolong or black tea — as leaves are bruised and rested, enzymes react with oxygen and deepen their color and flavor. Green tea sees almost none; oolong ranges widely; black tea is oxidized fully.: (20% · Low)
Picking style Why picking style matters Hand-plucking means workers select each bud and leaf by touch, one at a time — far slower and more expensive than machine harvesting, but gentler on the leaf. As labor costs rise, fewer gardens still pick this way, making hand-plucked tea increasingly rare.: Hand Plucked
Bug-bitten level Why bug-bitten tea costs more These leaves were bitten by tiny leafhoppers, which only feed on pesticide-free gardens. Their bites trigger the plant's natural defenses, producing honeyed, fruity notes — but damaged leaves mean a much smaller harvest.: (20% · Low)