Oolong Tea (Wu Long Tea)
One Quality You Must Experience
When you explore the fascinating stories of oolong tea origins, processing and varieties, you will understand why it is a firm connoisseur favourites.
Although widely consumed by the Chinese and Japanese people in the Far East, the mention of oolong tea often intrigues my Westerners friends.
Want to lose weight fast?
This tea has a huge reputation for promoting weight loss, a benefit touted even in advanced tea drinking nations such as China and Japan.
But if you are thinking just about weight loss, you are in the wrong place (please visit the weight loss page for a comprehensive summary).
Oolong tea is not just a slimming tea!
Its ONE outstanding quality is its aroma, as it contains the highest concentration of essential oils of any tea types.
What Is Oxidation?
All teas come from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, but they are processed differently to make different teas.
Just like apples turn brown when they are exposed to oxygen, tea leaves go through the same process when they come into contact with oxygen.
Green tea is green is because they are unoxidised. Black tea (most likely the tea you drink daily) is black because it is fully oxidised.
In between the two - you have oolong tea - which undergoes the most complex making process mastered only by the Chinese makers.
Depending on the variety, it can range from
10% to 70% oxidised.
Tea Information - Five Key Facts
Everyone Should Know
Oo means
Black. Long means Dragon. So the word
oolong means Black Dragon.
Where does the name come from?
It is accepted by Chinese scholars that it emerged before the 16th century
Ming dynasty.
There are 3 widely quoted theories on how this happened.
Ready for some tea stories?
Tea History - The Origins of Black
Dragon
How does this tea compare to its famous cousin green tea?
Green tea has more proven health benefits, partly because it is more
extensively studied.
However, with its stronger fragrance
and aftertaste, oolong tea has a larger spectrum of tastes and flavours than green tea.
If you are only just beginning to discover tea, you may find it easier to appreciate.
Which one is better? Personally, I think it is a question of balance.
You are free to vary your tea consumption by your body type, seasonality and time of the day. There is a place for both in a balanced tea diet.
Green Versus Oolong
Here is where the fun
begins!
There are hundreds of different types of oolong tea.
Needless to say, the actual process process is complex and vary from tea to tea.
See the picture to the right? This is the most important part.
Called bruising, leaves are deliberately shaken to encourage the tea polyphenols to oxidise in a controlled way.
Oolong Processing - A Beginner's
Guide
It has quite a few proven health benefits!
It has been found to promote heart health by reducing triglycerides,
cholesterols and atherosclerosis.
It is also good for people suffering from eczema, diabetes and high blood
pressure.
Oolong Tea Health Benefits - A
Scientific Tour
Like black tea and green tea, it is a healthy beverage. But like any other
tea, it does have some side effects.
The best way to avoid side effects? Buy a high quality tea from a
knowledgeable seller.
Tea Side Effects
It has slightly less caffeine than a high grade green tea or a black tea.
However, it may also contain less theanine (a calming relaxant) than a high grade green.
How many cups of tea should you drink daily?
As a rule of thumb, tea contains half the amount of caffeine found in coffee.
The UK Tea Council recommends drinking not more than 6 cups of tea or 300
milligrams of caffeine a day as being safe for most people.
Read how you can avoid caffeine side effects in
Caffeine - The Best of Both Worlds?
There are hundreds of different types of this tea.
They grow in different places, from different tea plants and are processed in different ways.
Even up to today, it is still cultivated mainly in the southern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, with Fujian
Province being the oldest and largest producer.
The Taiwanese or Formosa tea is also highly acclaimed.
They are not necessarily the highest quality (as many internet punters would claim), but has certainly shown themselves in recent decades to be the most innovative.
To summarise, here are the Famous Four that you shouldn't miss:
Wuyi and Tieguanyin teas are so highly regarded that they are often included in
the 10 Famous Chinese Teas.
Loose Oolong Varieties - The Four Great Schools
A breakthrough discovery, this organic certified oolong tea is a must-try that has astounded amateurs and connoisseurs during its Launch.
During 1996 to 1999, a Japanese team traveled to China to select an oolong tea farm for import into Japan's health conscious society.
Guess what they discovered after 3 long years of chemical testings?
Iron Goddess Tea - Shen's Tieguanyin Oolong Discovered In 3 Years
Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.
Also In This Section...
Tieguanyin Tea (Iron Goddess) - What's Your Perfect Oolong?
Is Anxi Tieguanyin tea the perfect everyday tea?
Iron Goddess Tea- How To Appreciate
How to tell the good from bad?
Tieguanyin King Grade Versus Jipin
A round up of which is the Tea King!
Oolong Tea Double Wins
Breaking news! Shen's Silver Medallist tea
won medals for second consecutive time this year.
Wulong Tea Review - A Dieter's Buying
Guide
How to buy wulong tea online.
Okuma Wu-Long Tea - A Review
My friend Melvin asked me to review a tea that he bought.
Posting A Tip or Story to the Forum is Easy...
Do you have some tea drinking tips? Please DO tell!
Others who read this site will greatly appreciate it, too!
Submitting a tip or story is easy! Just fill out the form below and hit the submit button.
Thank you in advance for sharing!
What Other Tea Lovers Say
Click on the links below.
Tieguanyin Tea (Iron Goddess) Quality - Good Vs Bad
I came to China this summer and I am living in Xiamen. I love tea culture and ritual so since I arrived I start to learn things about tea.
First I ...
Oolong Tea Production In The Past?
Does anyone know how common it was for farmers growing Oolong tea from 1800-1900 to do all the processing on their farms "in house" so to speak. I am aware ...
Brewing Tieguanyin Tea - Gaiwan Versus Gongfu Style
What is the best way to brew Anxi Tieguanyin tea (Iron Goddess)? I check out my understanding with Danica...
Not all oolong tea should be brewed gongfu ...
Roast Oolong Tea At Home
My question: is it possible to roast one's own Tieguanyin or other oolong tea at home? I love to experiment with younger oolongs, but don't have an knowledge ...
Oolong Tea Processing Questions
Hello to Dear Julian Tai, thanks a lot for this educative news letter! I will be obliged if you kindly let me know the following, with reference to Oolong ...
Tea Oxidation - How to Tell?
Not rated yet
Reading about tea oxidation on your web page, I wonder what actually happens during oxidation, both chemically and taste wise.
Maybe you know?
I ...
Oolong Tea Grading - How Does It Work?
Not rated yet
I have read that crude oolong tea is assessed by taking into consideration the climate, soil quality etc but I have also heard that it can be classified ...
Tieguanyin Tea - Silver Medalist
Not rated yet
First a congratulation to both your Tieguanyin tea awards! A Merit award for your Champagne Goddess and then also a Silver Medal for the rare and exotic ...
How To Brew Oolong Tea
Not rated yet
Andrew shares his tip on how to brew oolong tea... I drink loose leafs for about 6 years and I've never had good results for my taste with using recommended ...
Storing Green Oolong Tea - Why It Is Harder
Not rated yet
Why greener oolong tea keeps fresh shorter. Storing them properly is important. Generally speaking, the less oxidised the tea, the more easily it loses ...
Oolong Tea Seaonality - Spring versus Autumn
Not rated yet
What is the difference between jade (spring harvested) and autumn harvested oolong tea?
Answer:
Tea is a complex agricultural product that is influenced ...
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