Oolong Tea: What It Is, Half Way Between Green and Red

Oolong (wulong cha, 乌龙茶 - “black dragon tea”) is the family of partially oxidised teas between green and red. It is the most virtuoso chapter of Chinese tea craft: some oolongs are fresh and floral like a spring garden, others roasted and deep like baked fruit in caramel.

Taste and character

What all oolongs share is a buttery density and a long, fragrant finish. Light oolongs (Anxi Tieguanyin, Taiwanese high-mountain teas) smell of lilac, cream and fresh greens; dark ones (Wuyi rock teas, Da Hong Pao) of embers, spice and honey. Oolongs also take flavours gracefully: osmanthus and peach sit especially well on their creamy base.

In the Chinese tradition

It was around oolong that gongfu cha - “tea with great skill” - took shape: a small pot, tiny cups, many short infusions and attention to every sip. In Fujian and Taiwan oolong inspires the same pride and argument as cheese in France.

How to brew

Water at 85–95 °C, a small vessel, many steeps - the exact numbers by style are in the oolong brewing guide. Oolong dislikes long standing - it prefers quick infusions in which the aroma opens in steps: flowers first, then fruit, and honey and cream at the end. The whole spectrum, from floral to roasted, is mapped in our types of oolong guide; the creamy one has a story of its own.

Where oolong stands next to green, red and the rest of the six categories - see the Chinese tea types guide.