Oolong Tea

Oolong Tea is a traditional Chinese tea that is prepared by oxidizing it more than the green tea but less than the black tea. It does not have the grassy taste of black tea; rather it has a very different, indescribable flavor. It is generally brewed strong towards the bitter side, but still has a sweet after-taste.

The name Oolong means black dragon or snake, and has many legends associated with its origin, largely on account of the fact that the tea leaves look like twisted, snaky threads when dried.

Oolong tea is oxidized in a special manner using the following procedure:

* Wilting: Drying in the sun or air to remove a part of the moisture.
* Yao-Qing: Creating more contact surface for oxidization by bruising the edge of the tealeaf.
* Rou-Qing: Tumbling the tealeaves for the next stage.
* Sa-Qing: Frying either by hand (for premium tea) or by machinery (for lesser quality tea). This process is primarily aimed to stop further oxidization.
* Cooling followed by drying to remove excessive moisture.
* Grading and finally Packaging

The best Oolong teas come from Wu-Y

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