New To Oolong Tea? Learn The Basic Information Inside

By David Xiaottout

I think you've probably heard oolong tea before, through a good friend, TV show or even newspaper, and you might somehow know that oolong tea will benefit your wellbeing, but you're not very sure about it. Thus, for anyone who is fresh to oolong, this information is for you.

What Is Oolong Tea?

Tea is gaining quite a lot of traction lately outside of China, particularly western nations. It has three major groups: green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. And oolong tea is really special, which is a semi-fermented tea. But you might try to ask, what on earth is semi-fermented tea? Mainly because, the producing process is quite intricate, I'm going to put in such a way that you may understand very easily (I'll discuss more info later on this page):

You must try green tea before, which is well liked internationally, perfect for weight-loss. The green tea will never be fermented at all, which implies when the tea leaves are reaped, they are roasted at once, keeping the chemicals of tea the way it is.

The black tea is actually quite the opposite, 100 % fermented, which means that chemical changes have taken place for quite some time, then the fundamental compounds have most certainly became a new form so that the flavor of black tea is totally different to green tea. However, the oolong tea wouldn't go that far. It is somewhere between green tea and black tea, having a highly distinct flavors and some bonus health benefits.

Etymology for Oolong

This Chinese tea was actually primarily known as Beiyuan Tea, which was a tribute tea. What was a tribute tea? It was a specific tea provided to royals or an emperor, like a tribute to them.Actually, Beiyuan is a place at the north area of Fujian province (home of oolong tea). Then the tea farmers of An-xi county, south part of Fujian, upgraded the standard tea making approaches; therefore, the Beiyuan Tea was developed into a whole new kind. It is said that the name of first person that accidentally found this particular tea making skill was pronounced as "oolong", so in order to remember him, this later famous tea was named "oolong tea".

In many other places, oolong tea is also interpreted as "Wu long", precisely the same pronunciation, having said that I need to clarify here since it befuddles lots of people. The reason behind different spelling is related to two distinctive transliteration methods: the Wades Giles method gives us Oolong, and the Chinese Pinyin system gives us Wu long. But sometimes(rarely), oolong tea has other names, such as brown tea(named after its color) and rock tea(some varieties of excellent oolong tea actually grow over the rocks/cliffs).

So, when you read this far, you might get the idea of oolong tea now. But I am not going to stop here. Like I said, I'll uncover the production process, which is more interesting and revealing, so you're able to understand this tea much more deeply. So, please bear with me.

Producing Routine In Depth

This rather intricate producing approach has seven important steps.

1. The Withering Step - Leaves are unfolded, normally under the sun, with the purpose of removing dampness, softening the leaf cell wall and starting natural enzymatic fermentation.

2. The Turning Over Step - Specifically created machines are utilized to disintegrate the leaves, increasing oxidation and allowing the chemical components, found within the stems, to mix with the leaves. This step contributes a good deal to the balance of tastes in the end product.

3. The Oxidization Step - The leaves are now given time to rest as natural fermentation process moves on. Throughout this step, leaves can change coloring, often into darker green because cell structure further disintegrates. And now the tea is growing an intense flavor.

4. The Kill Green Step - This step stops the natural fermentation process whilst allowing the leaves undamaged.

5. The Rolling Step - To improve the entire amazing flavor and give shape to the leaves, cold or hot rollers (sometimes both) are employed to break down the leaves.

6. The Drying Step - Techniques, which include hot air, sun or pan drying, are employed at this point. The flavor and scent are further intensified, whilst the step also serves the purpose of preventing the growth of mildew and getting rid of any grassy taste that remains.

7. The Firing Step - At last, to give the needed smoky taste the leaves is going to be roasted.

Locations Where Oolong Tea Grows

Oolong tea grows primarily in northern Fujian Province, southern Fujian Province (the best place producing one of the best oolong, i.e. An-xi county), Canton and Taiwan. The 4 major areas yield the most of oolong tea in China, if not in the entire world.

Moreover, oolong tea has been found transplanted out of China, which include Thailand and India.

How Will You Benefit From Taking Oolong Tea?

You may be fed up with water (like me), perhaps you are tired with green tea (much like me before sick and tired with water) or some other kinds of tea, maybe your friend informed you that oolong tea could be very good to your well being due to its substantial poly-phenol antioxidant properties; however, you might still have suspicions in mind, that's OK.

You shouldn't push yourself, just click the links in the bottom of the article, go right into the topic which making you wonder if you need to give oolong tea a shot or not. For the moment, I will just list the benefits here.

-Elevate Fat Loss

-Resist the Signs of Aging

-Minimize Chance of Heart Related Illnesses

-Avoid Most cancers

-Manage Diabetes

-Relieve Emotional tension

-Minimize Soreness

-Reduce Cholesterol

About the Author:

So, that's it. Now, you may get the picture of what is oolong tea. And if you want to know more about oolong tea benefits, click the links here or take a look at other posts at Oolong Tea Community. Have a wonderful day and happy drinking!