• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Oolong (Wu-long) Tea

Where black teas are fully "fermented" or oxidized and green teas are not fermented at all, oolongs are semi-fermented or semi-oxidized. Oolongs produce a liquor that is generally between green and red, with an aroma more robust than a green tea, but more subdued than black teas. Acclaimed Oolongs include:

• Amber Oolong
• Bohea (Wuyi)
• Iron Goddess of Mercy (Tieh Kuan Yin or Ti Quan Yin)
• Formosa Oolong
• Jade Oolong
• Narcissus (Shuixian)

To produce oolong tea freshly harvested tea leaves are allowed to wither until enough moisture evaporates for the leaves to become limp. Then the withered leaves are rolled exposing the leaves’ juices to the air. The leaves are allowed to oxidize until the tea maker judges the time is just right. The tea maker arrests the oxidiation by firing the leaves in a wok in the same way black teas are prepared.