One of the World's Great, Underappreciated Teas

Outside of Taiwan or southeast China, Oolong tea is possibly the least appreciated or understood of Chinese teas.

And yet, it is one of the most worthwhile teas that combine the freshness of green tea with the smooth body of black teas.

Produced in Fujian Province since the 18th century, large scale production emerged in the mid-1800s in Fujian and across the strait in Taiwan to meet export needs. Curiously, oolong tea was a popular import to New York in the second half of the 19th century.

In the English language, teas are classified into three groups: Green Tea (un- oxidized), Oolong Tea (semi-oxidized), and Black Tea (fully oxidized). But in Chinese, oolong refers to one type of many semi-oxidized teas known collectively as "qing" or "ch'ing" tea. The word qing is difficult to translate as it refers to many shades of the color green.

Oolong Tea Manufacturing/Processing

1. Withering: Freshly picked tea leaves are laid out on a cloth in the sun, and then moved indoors to finish withering. This removes moisture and makes the leaves pliable.

2. Rolling: During the indoor withering process, oolong tea is rolled in long, bamboo cylinder baskets to break the tea leaf cells, thus triggering oxidation (sometimes called "fermentation.") Oxidation can range from 15% to 70%, although 20-30% is most common for oolong teas.

3. "Killing the Green": After the oolong tea has oxidized on round, shallow bamboo trays for several hours, the oxidation is stopped with heat in gas heated tumblers that look like large front loading clothes dryers.

4. Twisting the Leaf: The tea is dumped out of the tumblers onto sheets of cloth, and the corners of the cloth are tied together to form a large white cotton ball. These are placed in a machine that has four rotating posts that rolls this cloth ball causing the leaves inside to gradually twist into tiny pellets. This process of "killing the green" and rolling is repeated several times. (Little pellets of oolong tea are desired because they contain intense flavor that is slowly released with repeated steepings.)

5. Firing: The mostly dry tea leaf is finally finished in a multi-tray oven and baked at low temperatures until the leaf reaches a 5% moisture level. This process brings out the sweetness and fragrance of oolong tea. Traditional firing in bamboo baskets over a bed of charcoal is also still practiced and highly valued. Skill in firing can often turn a mediocre tea into a great tasting tea.