What is oolong tea?
Oolong tea is a type of tea with distinctive characteristics among the six major categories of tea in China. It is semi-fermented tea. At the same time, oolong tea is also a unique tea variety in China. Oolong tea is also known as "beauty tea" and "fitness tea" in Japan. The most representative oolong teas are: Tie Guan Yin, Huangjin Gui, Wuyi Big Red Robe Oolong (Da Hong Pao Oolong Tea), Fenghuang Dancong, Dong Ding Oolong, etc. Most of them are produced in Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan province. Oolong tea is very special. It is neither green tea nor black tea. It is unique, but it has both the fragrance of green tea and the mellowness of black tea.
What is green tea?
Green tea is a non-fermented tea. Because the finished dry tea leaves, the color of the tea soup after brewing and the color of the bottom of the leaves are mainly green, it is called "green tea". Green tea is the earliest tea in history, with a history of more than 3,000 years. 70% of the world's green tea comes from China. The most typical processing technology of green tea is: killing green, rolling and drying. According to its processing technology, it can be divided into four categories: steamed green tea, fried green tea, baked green tea and sun-dried green tea.
Oolong vs green tea: the differences
Here are some of the major differences between oolong tea and green tea:
① Origin: Oolong tea is mostly produced in Wuyi, Fujian, Anxi, Guangdong, Chaozhou, and Taiwan; green tea is produced in many provinces in China, the most famous of which are Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, and so on.
Oolong tea can be divided into the following types:
Northern Fujian Oolong: Wuyi Rock Tea, such as Wuyi big red robe oolong tea (Da hong pao oolong tea), Rougui, etc.
Southern Fujian Oolong: Anxi Tie Guan Yin
Guangdong Oolong: Phoenix Dancong Tea
Taiwanese Oolong: Dong Ding Oolong Tea
Green tea can be divided into the following types:
- Hangzhou, Zhejiang: Longjing Green Tea
- Suzhou, Jiangsu: Bi Luo Chun Green Tea
- Huzhou, Zhejiang: Anji Bai Cha
- Huangshan, Anhui: Huang Shan Mao Feng, Taiping Houkui (Monkey King Tea), Lu An Gua Pian
② Making Process: The core process of oolong tea is shaking green, which is semi-fermented tea; the core process of green tea is killing, which is unfermented tea.
Oolong tea: The characteristic is green leaves with red edge.
The production process of oolong tea includes picking, sun drying, shaking, cooling, frying, wrapping, and drying. Among them, shaking green (making green) is the key process to form the unique quality characteristics of oolong tea, and it is the basis for the aroma and taste of oolong tea. The dry tea has the obvious characteristics of green leaves with red edges and rich aroma.
Green tea is made by killing, rolling, and drying, and is not fermented, so a large amount of natural substances are retained.
Green tea varieties include: West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Anji White Tea, Taiping Houkui, Huangshan Maofeng, Lu'an Guapian, Yunnan Green Tea, Enshi Yulu, Duyun Maojian, Mengding Ganlu, Xinyang Maojian, etc.
③ Appearance
Green tea can be roughly divided into different shapes: long strips, flat, needle-shaped, spiral-shaped, etc.;
Oolong tea can be roughly divided into: curly tea strips, fat and round knots; tight curled, fine and even; curly round knots, fat and heavy, etc. In short, in terms of appearance, the overall impression of Oolong tea is curly, fat and round, without clear edges and corners.
④ Color
The color is mainly divided into three aspects: dry tea leaves, soup color and leaf bottom (tea leaves after brewing). The color of dry Oolong tea is more complicated than that of green tea. Due to fermentation, the color of the tea leaves becomes darker, and the most distinctive feature is "green leaves with red edges".
⑤ Taste
Due to fermentation, the bitterness of Oolong tea is greatly reduced, which also forms the unique flavor of Oolong tea, which has the characteristics of both the sweetness of black tea and the fragrance of green tea. The overall feeling when drinking it is that the aroma is refreshing, strong but not astringent, the taste is mellow, the fragrance lingers on the teeth and cheeks, and the aftertaste is sweet and fresh. At the same time, the fragrance is long-lasting and can be brewed for a long time. The second and third brews of tea are the most mellow. Among them, the famous Anxi Tieguanyin has a saying that "the fragrance lingers after 7 brews".
