Oolong Tea

About

Oolong Tea Oolong tea, also known as dark tea, is a kind of half-fermented tea with distinctive features in the tea category. It has not only the thick and fresh flavor of red tea，but also the fragrant aroma of green tea. After infusion, the middle tea leaves are green while those on the edge are red. People describe it vividly as "green leaves embroidered with red margin". Meanwhile, it is between non-fermented tea and fermented tea. Its aftertaste is sweet and fragrant. Among the six tea series, the tea ceremony of Oolong tea is the most complex and time-consuming and the brewing method is very exquisite, so Oolong tea is also called "Gongfu" tea. Oolong tea is generally referred to as "semi-fermented" tea and is principally manufactured in China and Taiwan (still known as Formosa in tea terminology). For the manufacture of China oolongs, the leaves must not be picked too soon and it is important that they are processed immediately after plucking. They are first wilted in direct sunlight, then shaken in bamboo baskets to lightly bruise the edges of the leaves. Next they are alternately shaken and spread out to dry until the surface of the leaf turns slightly yellow. The edges turn a reddish color as the chemicals in the bruised leaf react with oxygen. This fermentation or oxidation period (12-20 percent fermentation) is halted after 1-2 hours by firing. Oolongs are always whole leaf teas, never broken by rolling. Formosa oolongs undergo a longer fermentation period (60-70 percent) and are therefore blacker in appearance than China oolongs, and give a richer, darker liquor than the paler orangy-brown infusion of China oolong. Pouchong is another variety of very lightly fermented tea that undergoes a shorter fermentation than oolongs and almost forms an extra category somewhere between green and oolong. Pouchongs originated in Fujian Province but most are now made in Taiwan and are often used as a base for Jasmine tea and other scented teas. Oolong teas, known as pa