{"product_id":"bug-bitten-oolong-myself-surrendered","title":"BUG-BITTEN OOLONG - MYSELF SURRENDERED","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eA bug-bitten oolong (Bai Hao\/ Oriental Beauty) with a light amber liquor imparting hints of peach, honey and sweet floral cream. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"40\" data-start=\"0\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"40\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eOriental Beauty (Bai Hao Oolong) Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"337\" data-start=\"42\"\u003eOften called “champagne oolong,” Oriental Beauty, also known as Bai Hao, is one of the most distinctive and luxurious teas in the world. Grown in the highlands of \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eTaiwan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, this tea is famous for its naturally honeyed sweetness and rich, aromatic complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"699\" data-start=\"339\"\u003eWhat makes Oriental Beauty truly unique is its origin story. The leaves are nibbled by tiny leafhoppers (\u003cem data-end=\"466\" data-start=\"444\"\u003eJacobiasca formosana\u003c\/em\u003e), triggering a natural defense response in the plant. This process transforms the chemistry of the tea, producing exquisite notes of wild honey, ripe stone fruit, muscat grape, and soft floral undertones—without any added flavoring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1029\" data-start=\"701\"\u003eHand-picked at peak season, the leaves display a beautiful spectrum of colors: white buds (“bai hao”), green, yellow, and deep brown—then carefully oxidized to develop their signature depth and smoothness. The result is a tea that is both full-bodied and remarkably gentle, with no bitterness and a lingering, nectar-like finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1098\" data-start=\"1031\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1049\" data-start=\"1031\"\u003eTasting Notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-end=\"1052\" data-start=\"1049\"\u003eHoney · Peach · Muscat · Floral · Soft spice\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1125\" data-start=\"1100\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1123\" data-start=\"1100\"\u003eWhy You’ll Love It:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-end=\"1297\" data-start=\"1126\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"1164\" data-start=\"1126\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1164\" data-start=\"1128\"\u003eNaturally sweet with no bitterness\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"1196\" data-start=\"1165\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1196\" data-start=\"1167\"\u003eHighly aromatic and complex\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"1251\" data-start=\"1197\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1251\" data-start=\"1199\"\u003eCrafted using traditional, labor-intensive methods\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"1297\" data-start=\"1252\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1297\" data-start=\"1254\"\u003eA rare and sought-after oolong experience\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1536\" data-start=\"1299\"\u003eEnjoy it as a refined daily tea or a special offering for moments of stillness and reflection. Oriental Beauty is more than a tea, it’s a living expression of terroir, craftsmanship, and the delicate interplay between plant and insect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"201\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMyself Surrendered\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"201\"\u003eThe name of this tea, \u003cem\u003eMyself Surrendered\u003c\/em\u003e, is inspired by the following poem by St. Teresa of Avila:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"On Those Words \/ \u003cem\u003eDilectus Meus Mihi\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMyself surrendered and given,\u003cbr\u003eThe exchange is this:\u003cbr\u003eMy Beloved is for me,\u003cbr\u003eAnd I am for my Beloved.\u003cbr\u003eWhen the gentle Hunter\u003cbr\u003eWounded and subdued me,\u003cbr\u003eIn love’s arms,\u003cbr\u003eMy soul fallen;\u003cbr\u003eNew life receiving,\u003cbr\u003eThus did I exchange\u003cbr\u003eMy Beloved is for me,\u003cbr\u003eAnd I am for my Beloved.\u003cbr\u003eThe arrow he drew\u003cbr\u003eFull of love,\u003cbr\u003eMy soul was made one\u003cbr\u003eWith her Creator.\u003cbr\u003eOther love I want not,\u003cbr\u003eSurrendered now to my God,\u003cbr\u003eThat my Beloved is for me,\u003cbr\u003eAnd I am for my Beloved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"201\"\u003eThere’s a surprisingly rich parallel between the spiritual vision of Saint \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eTeresa of Ávila\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e and a bug-bitten tea leaf like Oriental Beauty that becomes sweeter only after being wounded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"203\" data-end=\"627\"\u003eSt. Teresa’s mysticism, especially in works like \u003cem data-start=\"248\" data-end=\"287\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe Interior Castle\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, is rooted in the idea that the soul is transformed not despite suffering, but through it. She describes the soul as passing through “mansions,” where trials, dryness, and even wounds become the very means by which divine intimacy deepens. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"629\" data-end=\"942\"\u003eThe tea leaf follows a similar logic. When the leafhopper bites it, the plant undergoes stress; it is, in a sense, wounded. But instead of producing bitterness, it responds by generating aromatic compounds that result in honeyed sweetness and complex fragrance. What could have been damage becomes transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"944\" data-end=\"1271\"\u003eSt. Teresa often speaks of the “wound of love”—a piercing by divine presence that is both painful and ecstatic. This is not destruction, but a reordering of the soul toward a higher sweetness. In the same way, the bitten tea leaf is marked by an encounter that alters its nature, making it more expressive, more alive, more itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1273\" data-end=\"1705\"\u003eThere is also a shared theme of hiddenness. To an untrained eye, a damaged leaf might seem inferior, just as a soul undergoing trial may appear diminished. Yet both conceal a deeper richness that only emerges through time, patience, and proper “steeping.” St. Teresa insists that the deepest spiritual realities are often invisible, unfolding quietly within. The tea, too, reveals its full character only when given the right adversity and a discerning palette able to recognize and appreciate the sweetness of a resilient leaf that appears to be superficially imperfect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1933\" data-end=\"2132\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eIn both cases, sweetness is not the absence of wounding, but its fulfillment. The insect’s bite and the mystic’s trial become unlikely gateways: \u003cstrong\u003ewhat pierces also perfumes, what wounds also sweetens.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e---\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrigin: Taiwan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eSteeping time: 250 ml of water per 1 tsp of tea at 95 degrees C for 3 minutes. Can be rebrewed several times. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20 g\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"THE NEW NEW AGE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48943677767922,"sku":"sku-41130505830513","price":19.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/4106\/0082\/files\/Myself_Surrendered_Bug-Bitten_Oolong_Oriental_Beauty_Loose_leaf_Tea.jpg?v=1774975523","url":"https:\/\/homeandwell.ca\/products\/bug-bitten-oolong-myself-surrendered","provider":"Home \u0026 Well ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}