Oolong tea, also known as Wulong, is one of the most complicated teas to produce. It requires the most human intervention. There are over seven steps required to make this wonderful tea. It is considered a work of art. Because of this, it is in limited production, and its prices are increasing. Could this be the end of oolong?
Oolong is a genuine tea, made from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. As stated above, however, it is very uniquely processed. It varies between the green teas and black teas. It can be oxidized/processed as little as 10%, making is as light as a green tea, or as heavily oxidized/processed as much as 70%, making it closer to a black tea.
Its appearance is not uniform, as you can imagine! It can be tightly rolled and green, or black and 'bakey' looking. (Yes, 'bakey' is actually a tea term! Who knew!)
Keating and Long state, "Many people have heard of oolong tea but few people can define it."
Oolong originated in China and spread to Taiwan. Mastery of making oolong takes many years to perfect and requires the human touch. Because of this it may be a dying art form. Machines have yet to touch this form of tea making.
Cheadle and Kilby outline how to make a perfect cup of Oolong Tea:
1. Start with freshly poured water, not water that has been sitting in the kettle. Freshly poured water includes more oxygen, which infuses more flavour into the tea.
2. Stop heating at 80 - 85 degrees Celsius, or 176 degrees F.
3. USE QUALITY TEA!! See lovely Oolongs here T By Daniel Oolong
4. Use the proper tea to water ratio. To do this, follow the directions on your particular tea's package, or use 1 tsp tea to 300 mL water.
5. Steep only 3 minutes.
6. DO NOT ADD MILK TO OOLONG TEA.
7. ENJOY!!
Sources:
Youtube Oolong Video
How to Make Tea (B. Keating, K. Long)
The Tea Book: All Things Tea (L. Cheadle, N. Kilby)
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