Oolong tea might not be that famous in the western world, but it is the most loved tea in Asia because of its aromatic floral note or full body aftertaste.

Oolong, sometimes is written as “Wulong”, means "black dragon" in Mandarin. Like other tea, it originates from China.

is a type of half-oxidized tea which is made from tea plants -Camellia Sinensis (small leaf tea plant) or Camellia Assamica (big leaf tea plant).

So just like green and black tea, it contains caffeine, but in a good way.

Health benefits of oolong tea

• >Boost your Metabolism & Digestion: Oolong can be found in most "weight-loss tea" as one of the main ingredients.

• Fat burner: The polyphenols in oolong tea accelerates our body cells to burn calories more efficiently. - based on The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 131 (2001) That’s why we suggest drinking a cup of unsweetened oolong tea after your meals within 15 to 30 mins. 

• Meditation and Focus tea: It was first only for royal family and monk in ancient time.

• Better sleep and less headache from caffeine: Oolong has only 50% caffeine content than green tea, 80% less than coffee. It gives you energy (or caffeine) evenly throughout your day.

What does Oolong tea taste like?

You can experience fresh, floral, honey, woody, nutty, herbal, minerality and much more. The enticing aroma and the taste come from the different combination of roasting and fermentation levels. That’s why it is also considered the most “crafted” tea.

Three key factors why it has such a wide range of taste:

• The craftsmanship of the tea master and how he or she wants to present it, like an art. Tea can taste differently even from the same plantation. (Like these two collections are from the same garden and made by the same master) - Silk Dancer & Master Amber.

•  The oxidation levels: Generally speaking, the lighter (12% - 20%) it is, the greener it will taste like. For heavier oxidation level between 30% to 70%, you can find more ripe fruitiness in the cup of oolong tea. 

• Location of tea garden (aka Terroir): Tea is still grown from the land like any fruits and vegetables. So factors like climate, type of soil, humidity and temperature of the tea plantation lay the foundation of the taste of tea. 

Difference between oolong and other types of tea

Tea was discovered as a detoxifying herb and was used as a medicine. So the health benefits, like anti-inflammatory (for our guts and skin), anti-ageing, or simply soothing effects. 

So the key difference between Oolong, Green and Black tea is oxidation level. Green tea is non-oxidized tea while Black tea is fully oxidized, and Oolong tea is half oxidized. So the tastes and colour are so different.

The fun fact of oolong tea is, it can look/ taste like green tea OR black tea, one big bonus if you want to change the flavour but still keep the health benefits.

But NOT ONLY green tea is the best because it’s unoxidized. Based on research papers in Japan and China, there are no huge differences between the testing groups who drink green tea and oolong tea, in terms of their health conditions. --- Healthy diet and lifestyle is still the key.

Is oolong tea a type of herbal tea?

By definition, tea is made from camellia Sinensis (tea plants), the small green leaf buds. And it can be produced into different “types” of tea, like green, white, oolong and red (aka black tea).

This type of “tea” is rich in polyphenol, catechins, L-theanine (a type of antioxidant), flavonoid and caffeine. Others made from flowers or herbs are called Tissan (including Herbal tea). It normally doesn’t contain L-theanine, caffeine and catechins.

Re-infuse the tea?

The first infusion is just the beginning of high mountain tea. The optimal nutrition level and tastes start from the second infusion. It can be re-steep 3 - 5 times with traditional eastern style.

Explore our tea range

Floral and lighter taste in tea: Green Oolong Everyday Tea

Roasting Sweet note: Master Amber Roasted High Mountain Oolong

Masterfully crafted : Organic Rare Black Tea