A black tea that tastes like honey (with no honey added)
Pour a cup of Taiwanese honey black tea and the first thing you notice is the aroma: warm, sweet and unmistakably honey-like. Yet there is not a drop of honey in it.
I still remember my first cup of honey black tea back home in Taiwan. The moment I raised the cup, it was bursting with a rich, nectar-like fragrance, and I couldn't believe it came from tea leaves alone. It felt like a little bit of magic.
That sweetness comes from something far more surprising: a tiny insect, a little patience, and a clever idea from Taiwan's tea researchers. Here is the story behind one of Taiwan's most charming teas.
Taiwan's forgotten black tea story
Black tea is the most widely produced and enjoyed tea in the world, making up roughly 73% of all tea produced. Taiwan was part of that story early on.
Black tea production on the island began during the Japanese colonial era, and at one point Taiwan made more black tea than oolong or pouchong. It was even Taiwan's number one tea export.
Over time, rising production costs made it hard to compete with large black tea producers like India and Sri Lanka. Taiwanese drinkers also preferred light, floral pouchong. Local black tea faded, and most black tea in Taiwan today is imported. That is what makes honey black tea so special: it is a distinctly Taiwanese revival.
Meet the tiny insect behind the sweetness
The secret ingredient is the tea green leafhopper (小綠葉蟬), a small insect that feeds on young tea leaves. When it nibbles, the tea plant responds by producing natural compounds that, once processed, give the leaves a honey and ripe-fruit aroma.
The most famous tea made this way is Oriental Beauty (東方美人茶), also known as Bai Hao or white-tip oolong. It is plucked as one bud and one leaf around the Dragon Boat Festival in early summer. Because so little can be made, Oriental Beauty is famously expensive.
It also means the farmers who make these teas must let the insects do their work, which is why leafhopper-bitten teas come from gardens that avoid heavy pesticide use.
From honey green tea to honey black tea
While developing new processing methods, researchers at Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station tried turning leafhopper-bitten leaves into green tea. The result had the same honey aroma as Oriental Beauty, with a sweet, smooth taste and very little astringency. It was also simpler and cheaper to make, and both the tea industry and tea lovers welcomed it.
Honey black tea was inspired by that honey green tea: the same leafhopper-bitten leaves, made the black tea way instead. Without the leafhopper's bite there is no honey note, and each tea cultivar brings its own character.
The leaves are withered, rolled, fully oxidized and then carefully dried, which brings out their fruity, honey-like aroma. The result is a twisted, dark leaf that brews into a rich, reddish-amber cup, quite unlike a classic black tea.
How to enjoy honey black tea
Honey black tea is easygoing. It is naturally sweet with little bitterness, so it needs no sugar, milk or honey.
Hot brew
- Tea: about 3 g of leaves for 150–200 ml of hot water, roughly a 1:50 ratio.
- Water temperature: 85–95°C, a little cooler than for most black teas. A slightly lower temperature and shorter steep help keep the delicate honey aroma. Warm your teapot or cup with hot water first.
- Steeping time: 1–3 minutes, then add about 30 seconds for each re-steep.
- Re-steeping: the leaves are long-lasting and usually give about three good infusions.
Cold brew
Honey black tea makes a lovely cold brew. Add 3 g of leaves or 1 tea bag to 300–500 ml of room-temperature water, then refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. That's it: a naturally sweet iced tea, no sugar needed.
Storage
It keeps well. Stored airtight at room temperature, it holds its flavour for about six months.
A cup of calm, a soft moment of joy
At Mio Tea, we love teas with a story, and honey black tea has one of the sweetest. A tiny leafhopper, a careful tea maker and a little research turned a forgotten Taiwanese tradition into something new.
Whether you brew it hot on a slow morning or pour it over ice on a busy afternoon, we hope it brings you a quiet moment worth savouring.
Explore our Taiwanese teas at Honey Black Tea and follow along on Instagram at @mio_teaca.