What is Oolong Tea?
Although the Chinese people have enjoyed the taste and benefits of oolong tea for centuries, people all over the world are now enjoying this type of tea. Made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, oolong tea is made through a semi-fermented brewing process, which produces tea to drink, as well as a primary ingredient for some skincare creams, candles, and shampoos.
Oolong tea goes through a unique fermenting process to achieve high quality results. Because this process is different from other types of tea, it is handled by someone with expertise. This Chinese tea is commonly served in restaurants but also packaged as a readily available product sold in grocery stores, specialty tea stores, and online. Often, people who love oolong tea also love green tea, both made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The only difference between the two is the fermentation, with oolong being semi-fermented and green tea not fermented at all.
This type of healthy tea must be properly fermented, which means a professional who understands the process and properties of this tea would handle the job. After all, the degree of fermentation is what differentiates one variety of tea from another so this process must be precise. Fermentation involves stimulating the leaves but only to the desired oxidization level. At that point, the leaves are then cooked and dried.
Additional steps are taken for creating the wonderful fragrance, flavor, and body of the tea, which is done with a process of rolling and rubbing the tea. In fact, based on the degree of rolling and rubbing, along with fermentation and oxidation, a wide variety of levels for this type of tea can be made but to accomplish this, it takes a master, someone highly skilled and authorized to grade the oolong tea.
This exotic tea was first discovered in the Chinese province of Fujian. While oolong tea is now grown around the globe, some of the most refined still comes from this part of Asia, as well as other regions to include Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Ancient Chinese discovered not only the wonderful flavor of oolong tea but also the man healing properties it offers, such as increased metabolism and improved digestion. Therefore, along with rich flavor and health benefits from freshly brewed oolong tea, these same healing properties are retained in dried tea after being processed.
If you want to try oolong tea, whether from a local store or if you buy tea online, always purchase from a reputable source, someone that guarantees the quality of the tea. The internet provides some great options but not all companies are created equal. Unfortunately, while it might seem like a good idea to purchase oolong and other types of Chinese tea from a local Chinese store, the truth is that often, quality is poor. For this reason, you would get better results by looking for a specialty tea company online.
You could certainly perform your own research, but we recommend some of the top companies where you can buy tea online to include Vietnamese Golden Buds, Gao Shan, Formosa Oolong, and Tie Guan Yin. These companies sell tea harvested from Taiwan, which is superior. However, these are just a few of the many great online businesses where top quality oolong tea could be purchased.
