Tea knowledge - basic knowledge essential for getting started with Chinese oolong tea!

Oolong tea, also known as green tea, is the only "semi-fermented tea" among the six major types of tea in China. Its production process is between green tea (unfermented) and black tea (fully fermented). It has both the fragrance of green tea and the mellowness of black tea, and is unique in tea culture.

Based on the green tea process, Anxi tea farmers developed the oolong tea making method, which then spread to northern Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, and even became popular in Japan.

With their superb skills, tea makers skillfully combine different varieties with heat and process, giving each tea a unique fragrance, which makes countless tea drinkers intoxicated.

◆ Divided by origin, each shows its charm

• Southern Fujian Oolong Tea (Iron Goddess of Mercy, Golden Osmanthus, etc.)

Anxi Tieguanyin can be regarded as the representative work of Southern Fujian Oolong. In addition, Golden Osmanthus, Yongchun Buddha's Hand, Southern Fujian Narcissus, etc. are also quite distinctive. Tieguanyin is not only the name of tea, but also the name of tea tree varieties. Its appearance is tight and some are like scale hooks, and some are like dragonfly heads. As the caffeine evaporates with the water, a layer of white frost forms on the surface, which is called "sand green frost". After brewing, the aroma is fragrant, and there is still a lingering fragrance after seven brews, showing the charm of southern Fujian tea.

• Northern Fujian Oolong Tea (Wuyi Rock Tea, Dahongpao, etc.)

Wuyi Rock Tea is the core of northern Fujian Oolong. There are many varieties of tea trees in Wuyi Mountain. In addition to the five famous clusters, Wuyi Cinnamon, and Wuyi Narcissus, there are many fine products. The excellent single plants selected and bred are called Wuyi Famous Clusters, and the others can be called Wuyi Wonders, or Wuyi Vegetable Tea. Among them, Dahongpao is even more famous. Wuyi Rock Tea has a plump and uniform appearance, tight and curled, sandy green brown and yellow color, and "green leaves with red edges" at the bottom of the leaves. When drinking, the rock bones and flowers blend together, and the "rock charm" is unique.

• Guangdong Oolong Tea (Phoenix Dancong, Phoenix Narcissus, etc.)

Guangdong Oolong is famous for its Dancong tea, and Phoenix Dancong is the best. Dancong tea produced in Fenghuang Mountain, Chaozhou, has a strong tea shape, bright yellow soup color, rich fragrance, and ten major fragrances such as honey orchid fragrance and duck shit fragrance, each with its own style. After multiple brewing, the fragrance is still long.

• Taiwan Oolong Tea (Dongding Oolong, Wenshan Baozhong, etc.)

Taiwan Oolong originated from Fujian and is mainly divided into Baozhong tea and Taiwan Oolong tea. Wenshan Baozhong is the representative of Baozhong tea, while Baihao Oolong and Dongding Oolong are the best in Taiwan Oolong tea. In addition, there are varieties such as Jinxuan and Cuiyu, which together with high mountain Oolong tea constitute the diverse flavors of Taiwan Oolong.

◆ Classification by shape, unique ingenuity

The appearance of Oolong tea is diverse, mainly including common shapes such as strips and granules, as well as some other special shapes.

• Strip-shaped oolong tea: such as Wenshan Baozhong, Wuyi Rock Tea, Phoenix Dancong, etc., naturally stretched.
• Granular oolong tea: such as Tieguanyin, Dongding Oolong, etc., are tight and round.
• Bundle-shaped oolong tea: Bajiaoting Longxu tea, tied into bundles.
• Block-shaped oolong tea: Zhangping Narcissus is a compressed tea among oolong teas.

◆ Different flavors according to the degree of fermentation

According to the degree of fermentation, oolong tea can be divided into three categories: lightly fermented tea (about 10%-25%), medium fermented tea (about 25%-50%) and heavily fermented tea (about 50%-70%). Different fermentation degrees correspond to different shaking processes. Lightly fermented oolong tea has a lighter degree of shaking and fewer shaking times; heavily fermented oolong tea has a heavier degree of shaking and more shaking times.

• Lightly fermented oolong tea: green tea style, fresh and blooming

Lightly fermented oolong tea is represented by Wenshan Baozhong tea and light-fragrant Tieguanyin. Wenshan Baozhong has the lightest fermentation degree among oolong teas, about 8%-10%, which is closer to green tea and fresh and elegant. It looks like a strip, with a green and shiny color, bright honey green soup with gold, a fragrant and elegant fragrance like flowers, a mellow and refreshing taste, and a strong aftertaste. Light-fragrant Tieguanyin belongs to lightly fermented oolong tea, with a fermentation degree of 15%-20%. It has the "three green" characteristics of "dry tea green, soup green, and leaf bottom green". After brewing, the fragrance is lasting, the tea soup is bright and bottomed, the mouth is refreshing, the throat is sweet and smooth, the flavor is strong, and the tender fragrance is sweet.

• Moderately fermented oolong

The fermentation degree of "strong-flavor" oolong tea produced by traditional technology is generally heavier, belonging to moderate fermentation. The main representatives are Tieguanyin, Wuyi rock tea, Northern Fujian Narcissus and Guangdong Phoenix Dancong, etc., and the fermentation can reach about 50%. Northern Fujian Oolong, with its thick and tight appearance, green-brown and oily color, is commonly known as "Baoguang". The soup color is deep orange-yellow or orange-red, with a golden ring, thick leaf bottom, rich floral and fruity fragrance, and mellow and sweet taste. It is the representative of the classic flavor of oolong tea.

• Heavily fermented oolong tea

White hair oolong (Oriental Beauty) is a famous tea unique to Taiwan. It is the most fermented tea among oolong teas, with a fermentation degree of usually 60%-80%, which is closer to black tea. Its appearance is intertwined with branches and leaves, white hair is exposed, the soup color is amber, with honey or ripe fruit fragrance, sweet and mellow taste, and it is a treasure among oolong teas.

From regional customs to production techniques, from tea leaves to fermentation levels, oolong tea, with its rich categories and unique flavors, demonstrates the breadth and depth of oriental tea culture. Whether you prefer fresh and elegant tea or mellow and rich tea, you can find your own tea fragrance in the world of oolong tea and experience the wonders of the ancients who "smell the holy fragrance before tasting the nectar". (Follow "Qiuyunxiangshe" and attend every tea event together).