Monday 06 October 2008 GMT

Many people who consider themselves to be tea lovers have never drunk Oolong tea. Yet Oolong is a category of tea which is capable of providing some of tea’s most enjoyable and exquisite beverages. What is Oolong? The name literally translates as "Black Dragon" and refers to teas which have been "fermented" (or more accurately, "oxidised") more than green tea but less than black tea. These teas are sometimes referred to as "semi-fermented". The best Oolongs are produced in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces, and in Taiwan. As with all mass market teas, the bulk of Oolong teas generally available are of poor to average quality.

Most Oolongs marketed by the major tea corporations, to be found in any Chinese grocery, are heavily roasted, unsubtle and quite probably stale, as they are usually packed in paper or cellophane. In this respect they are no different to the bulk of black teas found in any supermarket! However, the best oolong teas may be fresh, light and fragrant and be similar to a green tea (characteristically Taiwanese), deep dark and roasted "espresso" style (a Fujian specialty), or anywhere in between, depending on the variety of the tea bush, the micro-climate in which the tea is grown and the skills and objectives of the tea-maker.

Oolong Styles The finest Oolongs are said to produce teas with a "peach" like aroma, and many Oolong tea-makers strive for this result. Most premium Taiwanese oolongs are made with this objective in mind, and as a result Taiwan oolongs tend to be highly fragrant and very green teas. This style of oolong is very popular in Japan, and the best hand produced oolongs fetch extremely high prices. In Mainland China, the preference is for more heavily roasted oolongs. Many of these teas are still quite "green", but tend to have more flavour on the palate than the typical Taiwan oolong. Regardless whether a good oolong is lightly or heavily roasted, it has an unmistakable fragrance and subtlety which becomes addictive to the true tea connoisseur! For tea lovers accustomed to drinking black tea in the "English" manner (ie with milk and or sugar) Oolong tea may be an acquired taste. However, good Oolong is truly one of the most exquisite and wonderful of teas and is a taste well worth acquiring.

Preparing oolong Tea There are several ways to prepare Oolong. The traditional Fujian method probably produces the best and most consistent outcome. This is known as the "Gongfu" method. There are several prerequisites for this method. The first is the correct teapot. It should be an unglazed clay pot, no bigger than the amount of tea that will be poured in one serving. The best such teapots are from Yixing, which for centuries has enjoyed a reputation for the superb quality of its clay pots, and the artistry of the teapot maker.The pot should first be rinsed with freshly boiled water. Then the pot should be filled with enough tea to occupy between one third and a half of its total volume! Next, freshly boiled water should be poured into the pot until the leaves are covered. This water should then be immediately poured out – preferably into the cup(s) which are about to be used for drinking the tea. (This process is sometimes referred to as "awakening the leaves"). This water is then discarded.[This step may be omitted if preferred]. The teapot is then filled with the freshly boiled water, the lid is replaced, and a small quantity of boiling water is poured over the pot. After no more than 30 seconds or so of brewing the tea should be poured completely from the pot. Drink the tea! Repeat the last three steps to enjoy further brews. With each subsequent infusion, the amount of time the leaves remain in contact with the water should be increased by 10 to 20 seconds. A good oolong will produce at least three infusions. Oolong tea can also be prepared by using a porcelain "filter" teacup, readily available in Taiwan & Fujian Province.

The main point to bear in mind when making oolong tea is: DO NOT OVER INFUSE as it will quickly become bitter, and lose the wonderful fragrances and subtle flavours which make it the choice of millions of tea drinkers in China and Japan.

The Manufacturing Process for Oolong Tea The freshly plucked shoots are spread out thinly over a cleared area of flat ground, which is usually covered with bamboo matting or other material to keep the leaves from contact with the earth. The shoots are wilted under the sun for 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the temperature.
	They are then taken indoors, where they are left to wither at room temperature for a number of hours. During this period the leaves are gently agitated by hand every hour. This process causes the edge of the leaf to turn red, and the moisture content drops about 20%. These controlled actions cause the biochemical reactions and enzymatic processes in the leaf, which in turn produce the unique aromas and colours found in oolong teas. After this time, the withered leaves are fired either by hand in a pan or in a mechanical roaster at between 250 – 300 0C for about 15 minutes. This stops the enzymatic process continuing further. The freshly roasted leaves are then rolled a number of times before being re-fired. The re-fired leaves are then allowed to cool, being spread out over bamboo mats.
Once the leaves have cooled they are again rolled, and are then given a last firing. The best Oolong teas are hand plucked, hand roasted (fired) and hand rolled. The rolling and roasting methods determine the final shape of the tea leaf and largely determine whether the Oolong is a light tea or a rich roasted tea. The skills of the tea-maker are of great importance during these procedures, as a wrongly timed roasting, or inappropriate rolling, can greatly diminish the final quality of the tea.

	It will be clear from this description of the way in which the better oolong teas are made, that it is an extremely labour intensive process.  The final quality of the tea depends on many variables, not least being the weather conditions at the time of harvest.  It is easy to understand why it is that the best oolong teas command extremely high prices, particularly in countries like Taiwan and Japan, where there is a highly developed appreciation of these types of tea, as well as the disposable income neccesary to purchase them! It is becoming more difficult for tea growers to find qualified pickers to produce this high grade tea, as China becomes more industrialized and more and more people are drawn to the large cities and towns for work.   This in turn makes the tea which is still being produced by hand even more expensive.

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