Qing Xin vs Qing Xin Da Mao
Two Taiwanese cultivars with nearly the same name and completely different jobs. One makes high-mountain oolong; the other was selected because the tea jassid readily bites it, which is what makes Oriental Beauty possible.
cultivar
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Qing Xin | Qing Xin Da Mao |
|---|---|---|
| Selected for | Thickness and floral clarity in a lightly oxidised tea. | How readily the tea jassid feeds on it. |
| Signature tea | High-mountain oolong — Alishan, Li Shan, Da Yu Ling. | Oriental Beauty. |
| Oxidation of the finished tea | Light. | Heavy, close to a black tea in the cup. |
| How the character arises | From the plant and the altitude. | From insect feeding, which triggers the honeyed aroma. Nothing in the processing produces it. |
| Farming implication | Conventional management. | The jassid population must be left undisturbed, which constrains what else can be done to the crop. |
| Name confusion | The base name. | ‘Da Mao’ is the whole distinction and is easy to miss on a label. |
The short answer
This is the clearest example in tea of a cultivar chosen for how it responds to an insect rather than for its own flavour. The two names differ by two syllables and the teas share almost nothing.
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