Oolong and Wulong Tea

Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis) somewhere between green and black in oxidation. It ranges from 10% to 70% oxidation. It is among the most popular types of teas served in typical Chinese restaurants.

Oolong has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea: it lacks the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea but it likewise does not have the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet aftertaste. Several subvarieties of oolong, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian and in the central mountains of Taiwan, are among the most famous Chinese teas.

Water Temperature: 195-206 F degrees
Caffeine Content: Medium
Steep Time: 3-5 minutes
Origin: Multiple Locations

 

Oolong Tea Health Benefits

Drinking Oolong tea during or after a high-cholesterol meal has been shown to lower the intake of fat content in the blood. It also contains the most tannic acid, which is good for lowering cholesterol. Oolong tea is good for the skin as well and is a weight-loss tea, since it burns fat already built up in the body.

 

 

Oolong Tea Brewing

Oolong teas should be brewed around 90 to 100 °C (194 to 212 °F), and again the brewing vessel should be warmed before pouring in the water. Yixing purple clay teapots are the traditional brewing vessel for oolong tea. For best results use spring water, as the minerals in spring water tend to bring out more flavor in the tea. High quality oolong can be brewed multiple times from the same leaves, and unlike green tea it improves with reuse. It is common to brew the same leaves three to five times, the third steeping usually being the best.