Oolong Tea is a popular Chinese Tea
Oolong is a traditional Chinese type of tea somewhere in between green and black in oxidation.
The term "oolong" means "black dragon" or "black snake" in Chinese; various legends describe the origin of this curious name. In one legend, the owner of a tea plantation was scared away from his drying tea leaves by the appearance of a black snake; when he cautiously returned several days later, the leaves had been oxidized by the sun and gave a delightful brew.
Oolong tea leaves are distinguished, when dried, by their black thread-like appearance.
Oolong tea undergo a few delicate process in order to produce the unique aroma and taste. Typical Oolong tea process according to the following order:
- Wilting- Sun dry or air dry to remove some moisture.
- Yao-Qing- To bruise the edge of the tea leaf to create more contacting surface for oxidization.
- Rou-Qing-The tea leaves are tumbled for the next stage.
- Sa-Qing- Process to stop further oxidization. Depending on the quality of the leaves, they will be fried either by hand (for premium tea) or by machinery.
- Cooling
- Drying- To remove excessive moisture.
- Grading
- Packaging