Apr 25, 2013

What You Should Know About Oolong Tea?

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By David Xiaottout


I think you've heard oolong tea before, through a good friend, Television show or maybe magazine, and you may somehow know that oolong tea could benefit your well-being; however, you are not that positive with it. Thus, if you're a newcomer to oolong, this article is for you.

What Is Oolong Tea?

Tea is getting a great deal of traction nowadays beyond China, especially in western nations. It includes 3 main different types: green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. And oolong tea is really unique, which is actually semi-fermented tea.Having said that, you might ask what is semi-fermented tea? Given that the manufacturing approach is quite sophisticated, I'd like to put in a way that you'll be able to understand very easily (I will discuss much more information later below):

You must try green tea before, which is well liked internationally, perfect for weight-loss. The green tea will never be fermented at all, which implies when the tea leaves are reaped, they are roasted at once, keeping the chemicals of tea the way it is.

The black tea is actually quite contrary, entirely fermented, which means chemical changes have taken place for a long time, then the fundamental natural ingredients are already transformed into a new form; therefore, the quality of black tea is totally distinctive from green tea. But, the oolong tea won't go that far. It will be somewhere between green tea and black tea, getting highly distinct tastes as well as some added health benefits.

Etymology of Oolong Tea

This Chinese tea was actually primarily known as Beiyuan Tea, which was a tribute tea. What was a tribute tea? It was a specific tea provided to royals or an emperor, like a tribute to them.Actually, Beiyuan is a place at the north area of Fujian province (home of oolong tea). Then the tea farmers of An-xi county, south part of Fujian, upgraded the standard tea making approaches; therefore, the Beiyuan Tea was developed into a whole new kind. It is said that the name of first person that accidentally found this particular tea making skill was pronounced as "oolong", so in order to remember him, this later famous tea was named "oolong tea".

In several places, oolong tea is also translated as "Wu long", the identical enunciation, having said that I have to explain here because it confuses many people. The explanation for the various spelling is because of 2 different spelling methods: the Wades Giles system gives us Oolong, and the Chinese Pinyin method gives us Wu long. But sometimes(rarely), oolong tea has some other names, such as brown tea(named after its color) and rock tea(some varieties of premium oolong tea actually grow on the rocks/cliffs).

So, when you read here, you might get the idea of oolong tea now. But I am not going to stop here. Like I said, I'll try to uncover the manufacturing process, which can be more interesting and educational, allowing you to understand this tea far more deeply. So, bear with me.

The Producing Routine

This rather complex manufacturing process has 7 important steps.

1. The Withering Step - Leaves are unfolded, normally under the sun, with the purpose of removing dampness, softening the leaf cell wall and starting natural enzymatic fermentation.

2. The Turning Over Step - Specifically designed systems are widely used to break down the leaves, increasing oxidation and allowing the chemical factors, within the stems, to blend with the leaves. This step contributes a lot towards the balance of quality in the finished product.

3. The Oxidization Step - The leaves are now given time to rest as all-natural fermentation process proceeds on. In this step, leaves will alter coloring, usually into darker green mainly because the cell structure further breaks down. And now the tea is increasing an intensive flavor.

4. The Kill Green Step - This step will stop natural fermentation process although keeping the leaves unchanged.

5. The Rolling Step - To further boost the amazing taste and give shape to the leaves, hot or cold rollers (occasionally both) are employed to disintegrate the leaves.

6. The Drying Step - Techniques including hot air, sun or pan drying are utilized at this point. The flavor and fragrance are further increased, although the step also serves the purpose of avoiding the growth of mildew and eliminating any grassy taste that remains.

7. The Firing Step - At last, to give the needed smoky taste the leaves is going to be roasted.

Locations Oolong Tea Grows

Oolong tea grows primarily in northern Fujian Province, southern Fujian Province (the perfect place manufacturing one of the best oolong, i.e. An-xi county), Canton and Taiwan. The 4 primary places yield the most of oolong tea in China, if not in the world.

More than that, oolong tea has been found transplanted outside of China, which includes Thailand and India.

How Will You Benefit From Taking Oolong Tea?

You may be tired of water (like me), perhaps you are tired of green tea (like me before bored with water) or other types of tea, perhaps your friend told you that oolong tea is often very good for your quality of life due to the high poly-phenol antioxidant properties, having said that you can still have concerns in your head, that's OK.

There's no need to push yourself, just click the web links at the bottom of the article, go directly into the subject which causes you to wonder if you need to give oolong tea a go or not. Right now, I'll just include the benefits here.

-Elevate Fat Loss

-Deal with the Signs of Getting old

-Minimize Possibility of Heart Disease

-Reduce Most cancers

-Maintain Diabetic issues

-Relieve Emotional tension

-Minimize Pain

-Lower Bad cholesterol




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