In Taiwan, I’ve always loved the eateries in student areas where food is sold by weight. The concept is simple: rice is separate, and you pay based on the weight of the delicious items you choose. It’s a practical and flexible system for students—and for tea, it’s no different.

At J-Tea, we sell tea by weight, typically in ounces or quarter-pound increments. Many of our customers enjoy this flexibility, particularly when purchasing favorites like Eugene Breakfast. Our most dedicated tea drinkers often buy multiple quarter pounds at a time, sometimes as much as six or more!

If you’re a business looking to source high-quality tea, we’d love to hear from you. We wholesale tea to businesses of any size, regardless of order quantity. While I’ve been a little behind in posting new offerings like puer and our green teas to the website, we’ve got some amazing options coming soon. The process of tasting, photographing, and writing detailed notes takes time—especially with recent foggy weather affecting the lighting for photos. One of my personal highlights is the Year of the Snake commemorative puer cake—a truly exceptional tea that is coming to us from the Da Yi Tea Factory. I was lucky enough to snag seven of them, and I am pretty excited.

The Science Behind Bug-Bitten Tea

The phenomenon of bug-bitten tea never ceases to amaze me. When tea leaves are bitten by insects, it sets off a chain reaction in the plant's metabolism. The tea plant, in an effort to protect itself, produces unique compounds that create honey-like flavors in the final tea.

Think of it as the plant’s self-defense mechanism turning into an incredible flavor enhancer. This process is nature’s way of creating stress-induced excellence, much like the high mountain effect, where harsh growing conditions yield exceptional teas.

What’s even more fascinating is how the tea plant can “call out” to spiders for help. The damaged leaves emit a chemical signal that attracts spiders, which then spin webs to protect the plant. It’s a perfect example of nature’s interconnected brilliance—and a little bit creepy, too!

Special Characteristics of Eastern Beauty Teas

Two of my favorite teas, Gui Fei Mei Ren and Eastern Beauty, are a testament to how processing methods and regional influences create unique characteristics.

• Gui Fei Mei Ren (Tightly Rolled Eastern Beauty Oolong): This tea, processed in the Dong Ding area, features a distinctive tightly rolled leaf. The rolling process creates compact tea leaves that slowly unfurl during brewing, releasing layers of flavor over multiple infusions. The result is a tea that is rich, fragrant, and incredibly satisfying, perfect for those who enjoy a tea with depth and complexity.
• Eastern Beauty (Twisted Leaf Eastern Beauty Oolong): Unlike tightly rolled teas, Eastern Beauty is processed in Xinzhu and Miaoli in Northern Taiwan. The leaves are twisted rather than tightly rolled. Eastern Beauty is a “bug-bitten tea,” meaning its leaves have been nibbled by tiny leafhoppers. This stress triggers a metabolic response in the tea plant, leading to a honey-like sweetness in the finished product. The interplay of natural stress and expert processing results in a tea that’s delicately aromatic and sweet, with notes of fruit and honey.

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At J-Tea, we’re here to help you find the teas you love, whether for personal enjoyment or for your business. Let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll help you uncover something extraordinary.