Oolong is the most processed of the unroasted-to-roasted spectrum and the one with the most decisions. After withering, the leaf is shaken or tumbled to bruise the edges, left to oxidise partially, then fixed to stop it, rolled into ball or strip, and roasted to a level that has to be written on the contract. Fujian ships two thirds of China's oolong exports; Pinghe's Bai Ya Qi Lan, Anxi's Tie Guan Yin and Wuyishan's rock oolongs are the three styles.
步骤
Withering
Withering — Anxi01
子
阳光或室内枯燥会软化叶子，导致湿度下降。
Shaking
Shaking — Tie Guan Yin02
伤和氧化
叶子会动或倒下，使边缘伤和氧化，而中心保持绿色。当制造商判断香气是正确的时，氧化会停止。
Firing
Firing03
修复
由于它部分通过，oolong部分被氧化。
Rolling
Wrap rolling04
滚动和形状
Pinghe Bai Ya Qi Lan and Anxi Tie Guan Yin are rolled into semi-balls; Wuyishan rock oolongs are twisted into strips.
Oolong began in Fujian, and Fujian and Taiwan remain its two great homes. Fujian makes rolled Anxi oolongs such as Tie Guan Yin, strip-shaped, roasted Wuyi rock oolongs such as Da Hong Pao, and Pinghe’s orchid-scented Bai Ya Qi Lan. Taiwan is known for rolled high-mountain oolongs, roasted Dong Ding and the heavily oxidised Oriental Beauty.
Dong Ding, or Tung Ting, comes from Nantou County in Taiwan: a rolled, medium-oxidised oolong traditionally finished with a charcoal roast for a nutty, caramel depth. Oolongs differ by cultivar, oxidation level, leaf shape and roast; two teas sold simply as “oolong” can taste as different as a green tea and a black tea.
Roasting comes after rolling and drying: the leaf is heated in charcoal or electric roasters, lightly for fresh, floral teas or repeatedly for dark, toasty ones. Roasting deepens flavour and helps the tea keep, but a darker roast does not by itself mean a more oxidised leaf.
常见问题
Is oolong green tea or black tea?
Neither. It is partly oxidised — between the two — and shares HS subheadings 0902.30 and 0902.40 with black tea.
什么是石？
从南平的武夷山，福建，包括Da Hong Pao,Rou Gui和Shui Xian，从木炭烤，以矿物质性而闻名。
Why is it called oolong, and is it oolong or ulun?
Oolong is the English form of the Chinese wulong, “black dragon”, usually explained by the dark, curled leaf or by folk legend. Ulun is the same word in Russian spelling. Oolong is also called blue or blue-green tea, from its Chinese category name, qingcha.
Is oolong tea fermented?
No, not in the microbial sense. Oolong is partly oxidised: the leaf is bruised so its own enzymes darken it, then heat stops the process. The tea trade often says “fermented” when it means oxidised; genuinely fermented teas are dark teas such as ripe pu-erh.
What does oolong tea look like?
Either tightly rolled balls, as in Tie Guan Yin and Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs, or long twisted strips, as in Wuyi rock oolongs, from jade green to dark brown depending on oxidation and roast. Brewed, the leaves unfurl, often showing reddened edges, and the liquor runs from pale gold to amber.
Why is oolong tea associated with China?
Oolong was first made in Fujian, in the Wuyi mountains and Anxi, and Fujian remains its main source; Taiwan took up oolong making in the nineteenth century. Fujian ships two thirds of China's oolong exports today.
