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At Cup of Tea, we really do love Oolong Tea. The semi-oxidised tea is blessed with many naturally occurring nuances of flavour, making it ideal for infusion with natural flavours. The result is a tasty and refreshing tea that's some way between green and black tea.
What is Oolong tea?
Like many teas, oolong tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Traditionally a Chinese tea, it is neither black nor green tea, but something in between. Sometimes, oolong tea has more green tea characteristics, and sometimes more like black tea. It all depends on the production. A tea of distinction, whose diverse flavours, colours and aromas are sure to suit any palate.Its name originates from the Chinese for Black Dragon, which refers to the typical leaf shape. The leaves, once picked, are dried briefly in the sun then fermented. The degree of fermentation creates varieties of character and flavours.
The Unique Qualities of Oolong Tea
Oolong teas have an amazing complexity in taste, aroma, and appearance. Leaf colour and brewed tea can vary from dark-coffee brown to amber-orange, golden-yellow, and beyond. Many people have heard of oolong tea, but it's undefinable. Oolong teas can be either partially oxidised, a lighter processing style that makes it resemble a green tea, or heavily oxidised, giving them the taste, look and feel of a black tea.
Harvesting and Production
Oolong teas undergo specific steps in processing than other tea types, including withering, oxidising, leaf bruising, rolling, more oxidation (in some types) and repeated firing or roasting to lock in aromas and flavours.
During the withering step, the tea leaves are lightly bruised by shaking or rolling them, allowing the edges to oxidise. The leaves are then rolled to continue the oxidation. The rolling stage is sometimes interrupted intermittently with pan firing to halt the oxidation temporarily. This alternation between rolling and heating is often repeated to develop the layers of flavour for which oolongs are so famous.
The precise steps are carefully monitored by the tea master, who decides when the leaves will be moved to the next production level. To make those decisions, the master must rely primarily on the aroma of the leaves, a skill learned over time. Some tea masters can tell by the smell and aroma of the leaves when to move to the next step.
Discover our handpicked collection of oolong teas below!
The best way to start your oolong tea journey is with our Oolong Tea Collection. Included in the Oolong Tea collection are:
100g Ronnefeldt Oolong - Slightly bitter with a lovely mellow sweetness. Partially fermented tea that first tastes slightly bitter and then develops its characteristic nutty sweetness.
100g Ronnefeldt Orange Blossom Oolong - An aromatic mix of oolong, black tea and orange. The fresh taste of oranges and blossoms form a rare tangy and fruity combination.
100g Apricot-Peach Oolong - A flavoured oolong with peach and apricot. Soft and gentle fragrant aromas and flowers with the delicate elegance of the oolong from China.
Our Oolong Fig loose-leaf tea is sweet, earthy and beautifully balanced with the addition of figs and dates. The earthy, dark oolong tea blend offers a light green cup colour and is delightfully delicate in taste.
This tea is on the 'black tea' side.
Our Milky Oolong is a flavoured oolong tea with milky-cream nuances.
Highly aromatic with a complex flavour, this tea is milky sweet and smooth on the palate. This unique tea's aromatic bright khaki-green leaves create a fine golden brew, surprising light, and a round finish. The natural creamy taste is made using a unique production method where the tea leaves are steamed with milk and rolled into small balls.
This tea is on the 'green tea' side.
Apricot Peach Oolong Loose-Leaf Tea
Our Apricot Peach Oolong is a delightfully flavoured blended oolong with black loose-leaf tea. Fragrant with aromas of flowers, apricot and peach, this tea boasts the delicate elegance of the oolong from China. This tea is on the 'black tea' side.
Organic Tie Guan Yin Loose-Leaf Tea
Our Tie Guan Yin tea is an excellent organic oolong tea with a flowery aroma and long-lasting finish. Tie Guan Yin is one of the best-known Chinese oolong teas with a uniquely soft character and flowery aroma reminiscent of orchids.
Tie Guan Yin is a semi-fermented tea with only 30% oxidation, making it a green oolong. During processing, the dark green Tie Guan leaves are rolled into small tight pearls and dried, keeping this shape. During brewing, the leaves unfurl and show the full beauty of unbroken tea leaves.
This tea is on the 'green tea' side.
Discover our full oolong tea range here - https://www.cupoftea.co.uk/buy-tea-online/buy-oolong-tea-online/c5
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Posted by cup of tea admin
1st April 2024
