Honey Black Tea is a specialty tea from Taiwan. It belongs to the fully fermented black tea category and is a derivative of Oriental Beauty tea (also known as “hopper tea”). Its most distinctive feature is that the tea leaves must be bitten by the tea green leafhopper to develop its characteristic honey aroma. Simply put, it is a black tea with a natural honey-like fragrance.
What is Honey Black Tea and Where Does Its Honey Aroma Come From?
In 1999, the Taitung Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station began researching honey-scented teas affected by the tea green leafhopper (commonly known locally as “thiah-á”) to help upgrade the tea industry in eastern Taiwan. This led to the development of methods for making Honey Black Tea, Honey Green Tea, and related varieties.
Why does it have a honey aroma? To protect itself when bitten by the tea green leafhopper, the tea leaf produces a secondary metabolite with a honey-like scent inside its leaves. This scent attracts spiders—which love to prey on the leafhoppers—into the tea garden. In this way, the tea plant reduces the leafhopper population and increases its own chances of survival.
When tea farmers harvest these leaves, they can use them to craft honey-scented teas. The most well-known of these is Oriental Beauty tea, along with Honey Green Tea, Honey White Tea, and the recently popular Honey Black Tea.
Why Honey Black Tea is So Popular and Its Key Advantages
Great taste is certainly its biggest advantage. In addition to a rich black tea aroma, it features an extra layer of honey notes (commonly known as “jassid flavor”), giving you a dual tea experience in one. Another reason is that it is a “non-toxic tea.” Because the tea gardens must attract green leafhoppers, no pesticides can be used. This healthy characteristic makes Honey Black Tea a favorite among health-conscious tea lovers.
With its sweet honey aroma, Honey Black Tea is the wonderful result of a collaboration between the green leafhopper and the tea leaves, making it one of the most unique Taiwanese black teas. Premium Honey Black Tea is available at Liao Chang Xing. We select tea leaves harvested from May to July for the most intense honey flavor. Welcome to check it out!