Heaven of Tea

Oolong teas are very interesting, since they are highly pursued by some for the extraordinary taste and by others for their dieting properties. Oolong teas make up only about 2% of the total world tea production. Also called Wu Long teas, they sit at an odd place between green teas and black teas. Which means that Oolongs have more variation than most teas and are considered a sort of art form. The movie All In This Tea points out that Oolong teas are also the most difficult to make well, so special attention must be paid to them.

Creating Oolong Tea Leaves
There are actually two types of Oolong tea and they are made in different ways. Formosa Oolongs, which come from Taiwan (or Formosa) are closer to black teas than green, whereas Chinese Oolongs are closer to green teas than black. The difference is in the processing of the teas. First, some facts:

• All Oolongs are made with unbroken leaves (never rolled) and the best Oolong leaves become “monkey-picked” Oolongs, which simply means they are the highest quality Oolong teas.
• Oolongs are semi-fermented. Black teas are fully fermented, which gives them more caffeine than Oolongs. Typical Oolongs have 50% of the caffeine that a black teas has or about 10% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee.

Chinese Oolongs are plucked then immediately wilted in direct sunlight. Once wilted, the oolong leaves are shaken in bamboo baskets to lightly bruise the leaves. Next they are laid out to dry in the sun until the leaf turns a bit yellow. During this time, they are occassionally shaken again. After two hours, this fermentation process is stopped by running the leaves through a hot kiln (called “firing” the leaves).  After the firing, they are ready for making tea! Formosa Oolong tea goes through the same process, but the drying lasts over three hours before the tea is fired. This makes Formosa Oolong teas blacker with a darker final liquor than Chinese Oolongs (it pays to know which type of Oolong you prefer).

Note that Oolongs are made in other parts of the world, but these two countries make most of the Oolongs. You can see pictures of an tea field used for Oolong tea here.

What about Pouchong?
Pouchong teas are a version of Oolongs that have a much shorter fermentation period. They are primarily made in Formosa (Taiwan), but are closer to a green tea than a traditional Taiwanese Oolong. However they are categorized as Oolong teas because of the processing. Pouchong teas also have a lighter tea liquor that most other Oolongs.

Making a Perfect Cup of Oolong Tea
Oolong teas are pretty straightforward to make. You use about 1 teaspoon of tea (use the specific instructions for your Oolong, if you have them) for 8oz of water. The water is heated just before boiling: about 195 degrees. And the tea is steeped for 2-3 minutes. Some Oolongs do make delicious iced teas; simply double the amount of tea used pour over ice after steeping. But most people drink Oolong hot without sugar.

Oolong Diet Teas
Oolong teas are known for many things: delicious taste, being the “Chinese restaurant” tea, etc. But perhaps more than anything, Oolongs are famed for their weight loss benefits. The Chinese have long turned to Oolong teas to help them drop extra pounds (see study), but how does it work? Basically Oolong teas have a few health benefits that help with weight loss:

• Tannic acid helps burn body fat. Tannic acids help the body to burn fats already present in the body. This is the biggest reason why Oolongs are touted as weight loss teas.
• Helps boost metabolism. Studies show that Oolong teas help to speed up your metabolism a bit as well, which helps with weight loss.
• Helps block additional fat intake. Oolong teas also help block fatty acids from being absorbed in the body after a meal. Which is one of the reasons they have become Chinese restaurant teas.

But Oolong teas also have other health benefits: the tannic acid helps reduce cholesterol, which is a great benefit. And Oolong is good for your skin as well as very relaxing to drink.

The Best Oolong Tea
The best Oolong tea is Monkey Picked Oolong. It is the highest grade Oolong available and makes a fantastic cup of tea. However, flavored Oolongs are also very, very delicious: Jasmine Oolong or Formosa Nut Oolong (now you know where that one is made) or even Peach Oolong teas are delicious in different ways. Teavana has a full selection of Oolong teas to try.

Summarizing Oolong Tea
In the end, Oolong leaves make wonderful, healthy teas. Considered an art form in some countries, Oolongs are difficult to make, but worth it. And they are exceptionally good for those who don’t enjoy green tea, but want some of the health benefits. If you like black teas, you’ll probably like Oolongs even better, since they have a more subtle, complex taste than most black teas. Why not try an Oolong today?

There is also an official Oolong tea website created by the Fujian Provence in China, where a lot of Chinese Oolongs are made. It has additional information on Oolong teas.