Oolong tea is popular in China and Japan and has recently become popular in the United states due to its publicity for the green tea diet. The Wu Long tea advertised for the green tea diet is actually Oolong Tea. More about weight loss using green tea.
Oolong tea is a cross between green tea and black tea. It is processed more than the green tea, but less than black. It seems to benefit from all the health properties of green tea as well as black tea and actually has more of the health promoting polyphenols than either black or green tea.
More after the jump…
A whole art and tradition of craftsmanship has arisen around the production of Oolong tea. The tea leaves are picked in the morning on a clear day only. Buds containing 3 leaves are chosen and exposed to the sun. They are then dried indoors to promote fermentation.
The last and crucial step is in stopping the fermentation at the appropriate time. Too long a fermentation time yields black tea. Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea. The leaves are fermented to 30% red and 70% green. They are then rubbed repeatedly to generate flavor, texture and aroma before drying over charcoal.
The partial fermentation preserves some of the healthy catechin and teaflavin tearubigin, while increasing the polyphenols, yielding a healthy and flavorful drink.
Oolong tea is traditionally served using a tiny teapot and tiny teacup. This is the use of those little teapots and cups that you find so often in Asian markets.
