The Ins and Outs of Oolong Tea

Today I thought it might be appropriate to discuss oolong tea, a traditional Chinese tea that in terms of oxidation (drying out) is somewhere between green and black tea.

In Chinese tea culture, semi-oxidized oolong teas are collectively grouped as qingcha (which means literally "clear tea"). Oolong has a taste more akin to green than black tea, but has neither the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea nor the strong grassy notes that typify green tea. Several sub varieties of oolong tea, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian and in the central mountains of Taiwan, are amound the most famous of Chinese teas.

The literal translation of oolong tea is "black dragon" tea. It is often scented with jasmine flowers after having been wilted in the sun for a short period of time. The tea leaves are then shaken in baskets, which bruises the leaves. The juices in the leaves are then exposed to the air, which begins the process of oxidation. The leaves are then spread out to dry. After two hours or more, the tea is fired in hot woks and cooked very quickly. This stops the fermentation process.

When brewing the tea, 2.25 grams of tea per 170 grams of water, or about two teaspoons of oolong tea per cup, should be used. Oolong teas should be prepared with water that is in the range of 180 to 190 F (82 to 88 C) -- not boiling -- and steeped for three to four minutes. High quality oolong can be brewed several times from the same leaves. Unlike other teas, oolong improves with re-use. It is common to brew the same leaves three to five times, with the third or fourth steeping usually being the best.

Post Script: There are some who tout oolong tea as being a way to slim down, but the consensus seems to be that you won't lose weight any more than you will with any beverage that stimulates the metabolism. And stay away from herbal products that purport to help you lose weight, as these can be dangerous to your health, mainly because they are diuretic in nature, by which I mean they will cause one to lose an inordinate amount of fluids. Of course, tea and coffee are also diuretics, so one needs to be careful when drinking these as well.