Oolong Tea

             In the world of tea varieties, there is cured type called oolong tea, which provides a wonderful blend of the best of the green and the black teas.  Oolong combines the astringent flavors of grassy greens with the sweetness of the rosy red brews.  It is famous for its depth of character and light touch of bitterness that fades into a sweeter aftertaste.  Popular in many Chinese dining businesses, loose oolong tea has not made many inroads into the Indian tea market.  Oolong is usually more expensive than most black and green teas, but unlike white tea, it does not require special treatment during as it grows.  After harvest, however, oolong tea is processed through more steps than any other produced variety. 

             After being harvested, oolong undergoes an indoor wilting process that black tea and white tea both go through, but it receives additional outdoor wilt in the sun.  It then goes through the bruising process, as does black tea, but oolong tea receives a much lighter buffeting, usually being tossed in baskets instead of being rolled under wheels.  Oolong then sits in a dark room to oxidize, which is the part of the process that makes black tea turn black.  While black tea oxidizes for nearly two weeks or more, oolong tea will be finished after only two or three days, and will retain a green color.  Oolong then goes through reheating, called the “kill-green” process in the tea industry, as do each of the other teas except black.  The kill-green process for oolong tea can occur in ovens or in large woks or pans.  During shaping, oolong tea will be rolled into a long and curly leaf form or into little balls about the size of a child’s thumbnail. 

             After shaping, oolong tea is then dried as are each of the other types of type.  Oolong then undergoes one additional and unique step in its processing for the marketplace.  It is carefully fired and roasted, which tea makers tell us completely removes the bitterness from the leaves, while adding a malty flavor. 

             Following the roasting process, oolong tea can either be marketed immediately or allowed to age.  It is one of a pair of teas that benefit from the aging process, the other being Pu-Erh tea. 

             Bring water to a boil before steeping oolong in it.  If you enjoy getting the most out of your tea, you’ll be glad to know that oolong tea tends to improve after it’s first steeping.  Second and third steepings will allow the water to bring out the deepest flavors of the leaf, and many connoisseurs insist that the third steeping is the best. 

             Within its treasure trove of legends, China has several stories about the creation of oolong tea, including one that declares that a man named Wulong was preparing some green tea one day, when he was distracted by a deer passing by.  Forgetting that green tea must not be allowed to sit in the air and oxidize, he gave chase to the deer.  The deer escaped, and when he returned to his work, Wulong found that some light darkening had already taken place in the green leaves!  He went ahead and finished the green tea process, however, and decided to see what happened.  Thus he accidentally invented oolong tea, and his error was immortalized when it was named after him!