Oolong tea

Great that you've found your way here. We have a large selection of high-quality partially oxidized tea from Taiwan and Indonesia for you! Here you'll also learn more about the origin, the production and much more about this fascinating type of tea!

What is oolong tea?

"Oolong" is one of the most versatile and fascinating types of tea on the market. Oolong tea originates from the Wuyi region of China's Fujian province. Since then, oolong tea has found its way to other countries in Asia.
We source our oolong tea from Taiwan and Indonesia, where exceptional oolongs are produced at high altitudes. The most important varieties from Taiwan are Jin Xuan, Dong Ding Oolong, Formosa Oolong and Jade Oolong.

The origin of oolong tea

Oolong "烏龍" means black dragon in Mandarin. According to legend, a tea farmer in the Wuyi Mountains was chased away by a black dragon while picking his tea leaves. He dropped the leaves he had picked and ran away. When he dared to return to his field days later, the tea leaves had already oxidized in the sun.
Think what you like about Chinese legends, but the Chinese certainly don't lack creativity. The name most likely comes from the black color and the elongated, rolled appearance of many varieties.
If you have to classify partially oxidized tea, it fits exactly into the niche between black and green tea. The tea leaves are not fully oxidized. So you can also describe this type of tea as "semi-fermented tea" or "partially oxidized tea".
Depending on how strongly the tea is oxidized, completely different flavor notes can develop. There are also varieties of the tea plant that are better suited to light or dark teas.

Oxidation levels of oolong

• From 5 -15 % it is called a green oolong
• With medium oxidation it is called a medium oolong
• from 70 - 85 % the tea is considered a dark oolong

So you can also describe this type of tea as "semi-fermented tea" or "partially oxidized tea" .

Light oolong teas

Green oolong is less grassy than a pure green tea and has a round, floral flavor profile. Depending on its origin, the tea can also have a fresh sweetness or creamy, milky notes.
The famous high mountain teas from Taiwan in particular, such as our Shan Lin Xi, are usually rather lightly oxidized. The teas often grow at high altitudes, where there is less oxygen in the air. The low oxygen content makes it harder to produce strongly oxidized tea. That's why many farmers in the high mountains only produce lightly oxidized tea.

Dark oolong teas

Dark oolongs are probably closer to black tea and often develop fruity, deep notes. It's also not uncommon for dark oolongs to be roasted to make the aroma softer and rounder.
In general, dark teas have more complexity and depth. Producers can play around a lot with the degree of oxidation to create a truly unique taste.

Cultivation and production of oolong tea

Just like green and black tea, oolong is made from the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis (in German). Depending on the variety, there are distinct subtypes, so-called cultivars, which come in countless different forms. In Taiwan and Japan there are even state-funded tea research laboratories. Their sole task is to breed new cultivars (in German) and study existing varieties!
For the production of green tea, particularly young and tender leaves are picked. With oolong tea plants, by contrast, growers wait longer until the leaves are mature and larger. For Taiwan oolong, for example, the first 4-5 leaves of the tea plant are picked. Here, as with other teas, the best qualities are achieved in spring and autumn.

Processing of oolong tea

The first step after picking is withering. The oolong leaves are spread out in the sun to lose water. The tea leaves are then placed on bamboo mats to oxidize. During this time they are regularly mixed and shaken by hand so that the escaping sap reacts with the oxygen in the air
As soon as the desired degree of oxidation is reached, the oxidation is stopped by heat in a climate cabinet. Depending on the variety, the leaves are then rolled to give them the desired shape. For Taiwanese tea, this is the typical ball-rolled leaf; for Chinese teas, rather long, curled leaves.

Depending on the variety, an oolong can also be roasted to draw out further aromas and deeper complexity.

Storage & keeping

As long as you store oolong dry and cool, it can be kept for several years. Like a good wine, it develops more complexity. However, it is very important to seal the tea aroma-tight and not let it oxidize further through contact with air.

Preparing oolong tea

For the classic preparation, we recommend pouring 80°C-90°C hot water over 6 g of tea leaves and letting it steep for 2 minutes.
For the traditional Chinese preparation, known as Gong Fu Cha (in German), the tea is prepared in a small clay teapot or a gaiwan. The water temperature is between 85°C and 95°C. What's especially exciting is that oolong tea leaves can be infused several times, revealing different flavor nuances with each infusion.

While the first infusions take 30-60 seconds, later infusions can easily take 3 minutes to extract all the aromas perfectly.