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Oolong Tea
Tie guan yin loose leaf oolong tea balls on bamboo basket

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea (also called wūlóngchá, dark dragon tea, black dragon tea, qīngchá and blue tea) is a semi-oxidized type of tea ranging from approx. 10 to 80% oxidation. Being more oxidized than green tea and less oxidized than black tea it is often describes as an in-between type of tea.

Due to the great range of oxidation, oolong teas have a widely varying flavor profile including sweet, fruity, honey, woody, thick, roasted, green and fresh notes.

The leaves undergo the most complex production process of all tea types. It includes plucking opened buds, withering under the sun, bruising to start and heating to stop the oxidation, shaping into a strip or half-ball shape, drying and roasting.

Originating in China, many oolong styles, especially ones from the Wuyi mountains, hold the Chinese famous tea title.

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Tie guan yin loose leaf oolong tea balls on bamboo basket
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Production / Manufacture

Plucking

Farmers wait until the buds have opened and thickened to pluck the leaves. This is important because the leaves need to be robust enough to endure the shaping process later on.

Withering

Withering typically happens under the sun to allow the flavor to develop.

Bruising & Oxidizing

Leaves are bruised by shaking in baskets, rolling lightly or tumbling. This leads to cellular damage which starts the oxidation process. Bruising, withering and oxidizing is repeated until the desired oxidation level is reached.

Fixing

Next, leaves are heated in tumblers with hot air or fired in pans to stop oxidation between approx. 10 to 80%. This range is the reason why oolong tea is often described as a tea between green tea and black tea.

Shaping

Traditionally leaves are shaped into one of two forms most of the times, either the strip shape or the half-ball shape. For the strip shape, the leaves are rolled into long curly leaves by twisting them length-wise, which is done by hand or by a machine. To create the half-ball shape, the leaves are wrap-curled into small beads with tails by wrapping leaves in cloth and kneading them repeatedly, which is mostly done by a machine.

Drying & Roasting

Leaves are dried in large ovens or less common in baskets over hot coals. Often there is a second drying process where leaves are roasted to add complexity to the flavor profile.

Styles

Wuyi Mountains

  • Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe)
  • Shui Jin Gui (Golden Water Turtle)
  • Tieluohan (Iron Arhat)
  • Bai Jiguan (White Cockscomb)
  • Rougui (Cassia)
  • Shui Xian (Narcissus)

Anxi

  • Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
  • Huang Jin Gui
  • Ben Shan (Original Mountain)
  • Mao Xie (Hairy Crab)
  • Jin Guan Yin

Guangdong

  • Dan Cong (Phoenix Oolong)

Taiwan

  • Dongding (Frozen Summit)
  • Dongfang Meiren (Oriental Beauty)
  • Alishan Oolong
  • Lishan Oolong
  • Baozhong (Wrapped Kind)
  • Ruan Zhi
  • Jin Xuan
  • Black Oolong
  • High Mountain Oolong

Naming & Origin

Even though it is hard to define one certain origin, there are some adopted explanations.

Because the leaves look dark, long and curly it was first named black dragon tea.

Another explanation comes from a tale of a man named Wu Liang who discovered oolong tea because he was distracted by a deer and when he returned back to his farm his tea already started to oxidize. Later on his name was falsely handed down as Wulong or Oolong.

While in Chinese the terms wulong and qīngchá are used, the term oolong is the most wide-spread in the western world.

Brewing / Preparation

Oolong tea often needs a lot of space because the twisted or rolled leaves expand greatly. While tea balls don’t provide enough space to unfold, leaves can unfold perfectly directly in the brewing vessel.

The water temperature varies between 80 and 95°C. (180 and 205°F). The greener and less oxidized the tea is, the lower the temperature. The darker and higher oxidized the tea is, the higher the temperature.

In China and Taiwan oolong tea is widely brewed with the Gong Fu brewing method and multiple infusions. To brew Gong Fu style, steep 5g per 100ml for 25s and add 5s for every infusion.

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Loose leaves of green tea.
Green Tea
Tea Type
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Green tea is a very lowly oxidized type of tea, unlike oolong and black teas which go through an oxidation process. Leaves of Camellia sinensis var. Sinensis are better suited for producing green tea than those from Camellia sinensis var. Assamica which are usually used to make black tea. Originating in China, production spread out into other areas of Eastern Asia. There are many styles of green tea that differ substantially in flavor, leaf look, and production process. Green tea is a type of tea with the highest antioxidant properties. There are many research studies on its health effects, but there is little evidence showing any effects on people's health.
Loose leaves of black tea.
Black Tea
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Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Loose leaves of white tea.
White Tea
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White tea is one of the most recent tea types out there. It is the *least processed* tea type and has only been lightly oxidized. But just because of that, it does not necessarily mean that it is simple in taste. In fact, the processes it goes through are very meticulous and important for its taste development. Its production center is in China, especially in the *Fujian* province. In the last few years the production areas of white tea are increasing thanks to its gaining popularity.
Tea leaves on a bamboo basket and in hands
Oxidation
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Oxidation describes the process of enzymes in the tea leaves reacting with oxygen. During oxidation, leaves undergo changes in their chemical composition turning them brown and changing the flavor and aroma profile. Oxidation is an essential step in the processing of tea. Depending on the type of tea which is made, oxidation is either fully prevented or intentionally caused and stopped at a certain level. Whereas green, white and yellow teas are unoxidized or lightly oxidized, black teas are highly or fully oxidized. In between are oolong teas, which cover a wide range of oxidation levels from lightly oxidized to highly oxidized. The process of oxidation is intentionally caused by crushing, rolling or tumbling the leaves. Thereby the walls of the cells are damaged, exposing the inside of the leaves with oxygen, resulting in a series of chemical reactions. In order to stop the oxidation at a certain level, leaves have to be heated or dried. Heat denatures the enzymes responsible for oxidation.
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Yellow Tea
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Yellow tea is a rare and expensive type of tea with a low oxidation. The processing is similar to that of a green tea but with an additional step of keeping the leaves in a hot environment. This leads to a more mellow taste and yellowish colored leaves. The tea is mainly produced in China and Korea.
Pu'er dark tea pressed leaves as tea cake
Dark Tea
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Dark tea is a microbially fermented type of tea. The fermentation continues several months to many years and the leaves are often pressed in cake or brick shapes. The most famous dark tea is Pu’er from Yunnan, China.
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