What is OOLONG TEA?

By Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra, Tea Expert

1. Oolong Tea is a semi-oxidized whole-leaf tea which retains all of the nutrients and natural healing factors contained in unfermented green tea, but without the "raw" grassy taste and the somewhat harsh impact on the stomach that makes green tea disagreeable to most people. By being a whole leaf tea, Oolong Tea’s taste is most important and very much Oolong is the best tasting of all teas.

2. The very brief fermentation process of oolong tea eliminates harsh irritants from the raw tea and creates the subtle fragrances and flavors which distinguish this tea from all other varieties of teas. Oolong tea is produced without the tannins and other toxic compounds found in fully fermented black tea.

3. The cultivation and appreciation of High Mountain Oolong Tea is somewhat similar to fine wine, with each plantation and each mountain producing its own unique bouquet of flavors, and each year's harvest of oolong tea yielding its own special character.

4. Process of preparing the Oolong Tea Leaf from field to our TG cans:

A. The plucking of oolong tea takes place by hand and depending on the production the bud and up to four leaves may be picked. The best time to pick the high mountain Oolong tea is in the afternoon when the dew on the leaves has dried.

B. The oolong tea is then taken to the plantation for cleaning.

C. The rich flavor and fragrant aroma of oolong tea result from a process often referred to as "fermentation" but which is really an oxidizing action.

D. This effect is produced after withering (which allows the oolong tea leaves to soften) by tumbling or otherwise bruising the surface of the oolong tea leaves in order to break down their cells and release enzymes which darken when exposed to the air.

E. Once the oolong tea has achieved the desired color and flavour development, the oolong tea leaves are usually rolled or twisted and oxidation is halted by drying.

F. The best oolong teas are always totally handmade. This requires great skill and long experience on the part of the oolong tea maker in order to control the cycles of fermentations, rollings, and roastings necessary to achieve perfection.

G. No machine has yet been invented that can match the skills of experienced oolong tea makers in producing the delicate elegance of High Mountain Oolong Tea.

5. The Oolong Tea liquor is somewhere between pale cherry and deep red.

6. Oolong Tea is a refreshing beverage and produces a flowery aroma, and can be steeped many times.

7. The better Oolong Teas are meant to be steeped a number of times and the oolong tea leaves fall to the bottom of the tea pot or preparation vessel.

8. Some Oolong teas are more refreshing and flowery than others. The lower grades of oolong tea are bitterer with darker tea liquor. The oolong tea leaf should be bulky and whole; the lower grades of oolong tea are pieces and should take on the shape of dramatic forms (the many shapes of dragons or other mythological creatures, insects, animals, fishes, birds, etc.).

9. The oolong tea leaf should unfold beautifully in the pot as a morning mist unfolds and covers the valley.

10. China Oolong tea loose leaf, undergo a 20% oxidation while Formosa Oolongs undergo a 60% oxidation. Do not let the names China and Formosa throw you off: remember, Formosa was once a province of China and many of the tea manufacturing processes used in Formosa originated in the Fujian Province (North of Hong Kong and south of Shanghai and thus both methods are used in China proper today.

A. Therefore, Formosa refers to two things in the tea industry: (1) the process, and (2) the growing region. An Oolong tea which is 60% oxidized but which is grown and processed in China is called FORMOSA OOLONG.

by Dr. Tea, Tea Expert

Much Love and Light

Mark Dr. Tea, Ukra,
Tea Expert & proprietor of the Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium.