The Oolong Compendium · Tea Epicure

This content material materials is an excerpt from Tony’s information, Tea: A Client’s Data. For further data on the information, please go to the information’s web internet web page.

The phrase Wulong interprets to black dragon. The right pinyin is wūlóng (乌龙), nevertheless oolong (a haphazard transliteration) has turn into the popular spelling inside the West.

Wulong leaves are semi-oxidized. Which implies that all through manufacturing, oxidation is initiated, managed and halted in some unspecified time sooner or later sooner than the leaves are thought-about completely oxidized. For that reason you will normally hear wulong described as being in between inexperienced tea and black tea. Nonetheless, as with many points on this planet of tea, it is further tough than this.

A particular step inside the processing of typical wulong tea is the bruising step (moreover referred to as rattling or shaking). The leaves are shaken, flippantly rolled or tumbled until the sides bruise. This bruising causes cellular hurt and initiates the oxidation course of. Bruising as a processing step is an iterative course of whereby the leaves are bruised and allowed to wither and oxidize slowly.

The tactic happens repeatedly until they’ve reached a desired diploma of oxidation. The leaves are then heated (mounted) to stop oxidation and are shaped and dried. Let’s take a look at each step in barely further component, beginning with the harvest.

Plucking

When plucking leaves for wulong manufacturing, tea pickers wait until the buds on the tea plant have opened and thickened. Counting on the meant type of the last word product, pickers will pluck wherever from three to five leaves at a time. The reason for plucking older, thicker leaves is that they are further liable to endure the intense kneading and shaping required by the wulong manufacturing course of.

Withering

Wulongs are normally withered inside the photo voltaic or in refined delicate beneath movable shades open air. As quickly because the leaves are bruised, the withering course of continues, normally indoors. The withering course of varies from producer to producer, nevertheless the goals of withering are the an identical: to prepare the leaves for added processing by making them flaccid. The withered leaves allow fragrance to develop.

Bruising / Oxidation

The distinct processing step that makes a wulong a wulong is bruising. The target of bruising the leaves is to impress oxidation. To take motion, counting on the type of tea being made and the person making it, the leaves may be tumbled, shaken, and even flippantly rolled (as is the case for lots of recent non-traditional wulongs). When the leaves are bruised, the cell partitions all through the bruised portion of the leaves are broken, initiating oxidation. The leaves are then left to wither and oxidize sooner than being extra bruised. This iterative course of continues until the required diploma of oxidation is reached by the tea maker. Wulongs are also called semi-oxidized teas and as such could also be made at quite a lot of oxidation ranges. The greenest wulongs are oxidized to spherical 5–10%, whereas darker mannequin wulongs are practically oxidized to black tea ranges, spherical 80–90%.

Fixing

As quickly as the required diploma of oxidation is reached by repeatedly bruising the leaves and allowing them to wither, they’re heated to cease any extra oxidation. Most wulongs are mounted by scorching air in heated tumblers.

Shaping

Traditionally, wulongs are processed into two utterly completely different shapes: half-ball kind (moreover commonly known as partial-ball kind) and strip kind (moreover commonly known as stripe kind). Half-ball mannequin wulongs are shaped using an iterative course of referred to as cloth-wrapped kneading the place tea leaves are wrapped in material and kneaded. When that’s completed, the leaves clump collectively and sort an honest ball. The leaf-mass is gently broken apart after which kneaded in material as soon as extra. This course of can go on for hours.

In most industrial functions, cloth-wrapped kneading is achieved by a machine. Nonetheless, small-scale artisan tea producers nonetheless knead the tea by hand (and even with their toes). Strip shaped wulongs are rolled by hand or by a machine with out utilizing material. They’re twisted length-wise barely than rolled proper right into a ball. All through rolling, the amount of stress exerted on the leaves is rigorously monitored so that the leaves are normally not ripped apart.
Presentation of the finished tea is important to the tea producer, and a tea with an enormous proportion of stems is assumed to be a tea of lesser top quality. Stems are picked off of accomplished tea leaves by hand or by machine sooner than being packed and shipped. Usually stems are left on the finished leaves when purchased. In the end, it’s a very laborious course of, and tea is purchased by weight.

Drying and Roasting

Regardless of the type of the leaves, as quickly as they’re rolled or kneaded the mass of leaves is broken apart so that the leaves could also be merely dried. In industrial manufacturing settings, wulong is dried in big ovens powered by electrical vitality or gasoline. Smaller artisan manufacturing traces will use baskets over scorching coals to slowly dry the leaves. That’s normally referred to as firing or the first drying. Wulongs will normally bear a second drying, usually referred to as roasting. Roasting is accomplished to mellow the tea’s style and add to its complexity. At events, errors in processing could also be hidden by a strong roasting step.

About 11% of tea grown in China is wulong tea. The overwhelming majority of Chinese language language wulong manufacturing comes from the mountainous areas of Fujian Province. Fujian is dwelling to the Anxi Tie Guan Yin and Wu Yi Yan Cha varieties. The mountains of Wu Yi are the birthplace of wulong manufacturing, and the teas from that space are a testament to wulong’s heritage.

Minnan Wulongs

Minnan wulongs seek the advice of with these produced South of the Min [River] in Fujian province. A widely known rising space lies there, Anxi county. Anxi county is assumed primarily for the manufacturing of Tie Guan Yin, Huang Jin Gui, Ben Shan, Mao Xie, and the hybrid Jin Guan Yin. Anxi wulongs are troublesome to tell apart by look alone, as they’re usually produced in the identical half-ball mannequin kind. Each one could also be produced with varied ranges of oxidation and roast. Oxidation and roast ranges are altered barely for each tea to guard the qualities distinct to each cultivar and harvest. Usually they’re all processed within the an identical technique:

• withered inside the photo voltaic
• tumbled to bruise the sides of the leaves
• withered (then bruised as soon as extra, usually 20–30 events)
• mounted
• kneaded whereas wrapped in material (many events)
• dried

Accomplished Anxi wulongs are practically on a regular basis made up of single leaves that had been broken off the stem by hand after drying.

Anxi Tie Guan Yin (安溪 铁观音, ān xī tiĕ guān yīn) Anxi Iron Goddess of Mercy
This tea mannequin is produced in Fujian Province’s Anxi county and is arguably in all probability probably the most well-known wulong. Tie Guan Yin is comprised of the leaves of a cultivar with the an identical title, ‘Tie Guan Yin.’ Standard variations of this tea are intently roasted, nevertheless it is largely current in a inexperienced, unroasted state instantly. Tie Guan Yin is taken into account one among China’s excessive ten well-known teas; it is recognized for its floral fragrance and hou yun (喉韵) which means throat resonance or aftertaste.

Anxi Huang Jin Gui (安溪 黄金桂, ān xī huáng jīn guì) Anxi Golden Cassia or Golden Osmanthus
This tea mannequin is produced in Fujian Province’s Anxi county and is much like Tie Guan Yin in look
aside from its yellow color. The yellowish color of the leaves is a attribute of the ‘Huang Jin Gui’ cultivar. Huang Jin Gui is the earliest to flush of all the Anxi cultivars.

Anxi Ben Shan (安溪 本山, ān xī bĕn shān) Anxi Distinctive Mountain
This tea mannequin is produced in Fujian Province’s Anxi county. Ben Shan may be very associated in look to Tie Guan Yin, the precept distinction being the cultivar this tea is comprised of, ‘Ben Shan.’

Anxi Mao Xie (安溪 毛蟹, ān xī máo xiè) Anxi Bushy Crab
This mannequin of tea is produced in Fujian Province’s Anxi county. Mao Xie could also be very associated in look to Tie Guan Yin, the distinguishing attribute being the large amount of hairs on the leaves. The cultivar this tea is comprised of, ‘Mao Xie,’ is assumed to have bushy crab-like leaves.

Anxi Jin Guan Yin (安溪 金观音, ān xī jīn guān yīn) Anxi Jin Guan Yin
Jin Guan Yin is a hybrid cultivar comprised of Tie Guan Yin and Huang Jin Gui. Moreover it’s a most popular cultivar for the manufacturing of Wu Yi Yan Cha.

Minbei Wulongs

Minbei, or North of Min [River] refers to wulongs rising north of the Min river in Fujian province. The Wu Yi Yan Chas fall into this space. Yan Cha (岩茶, yán chá) means rock tea; it is a title given to the teas of Wu Yi Shan because of the tea crops there are recognized to thrive inside the rocky soils of the world. This distinctive terroir is liable for the “rock model” that gives these teas their fame. Typically referred to as Yan Yun (岩韵 , yán yùn) really rock rhyme, it’s a strategy of describing the distinctive aftertaste yan cha is understood for.

The whole gardens inside the Wu Yi area had been propagated from 4 to six “mother timber” that additionally exist instantly and are a spectacle inside the protected area of Wu Yi Shan. The extra away from the protected Wu Yi area the crops are rising, the a lot much less needed teas comprised of them are. There could also be actually a extensively accepted nomenclature for this:

• Zheng Yan (正岩, zhēng yán), really center rock teas, are grown contained within the Wu Yi protected area.
• Ban Yan (半岩, bàn yán), really half rock teas, are grown near the sides of the protected area.
• Zhou Cha (洲茶, zhōu chá) or river monetary establishment teas are grown successfully open air of the protected Wu Yi area.

All Wu Yi teas are produced in nearly the an identical model. They’re withered, tumbled, oxidized, mounted, rolled, dried and roasted. Wu Yi teas are formed into their distinctive strip kind by rolling the leaves length-wise on a rolling desk.

4 Effectively-known Wu Yi Teas

These teas are comprised of crops which have been propagated from the 4 well-known bushes of Wu Yi Shan. They’re normally referred to as Si Da Ming Cong (四大名丛) teas, which means 4 Good Bushes.

Wu Yi Da Hong Pao (武夷 大红袍, wŭ yí dà hóng páo) Wu Yi Enormous Pink Robe
This mannequin of tea is probably going one of many two wulongs (Tie Guan Yin is the other) that make it to the file of excessive ten well-known Chinese language language teas (see appendix). Enormous Pink Robe might be probably the most well-known and extensively produced of the Si Da Ming Cong teas. There is not a selected Da Hong Pao cultivar; each Qi Dan (奇丹) or Bei Dou (北斗) are used or a mixture is comprised of many different cultivars with the target of constructing a tea that best exemplifies Yan Yun (岩韵) or rock rhyme, the distinctive aftertaste of Wu Yi Yan Chas.

Wu Yi Shui Jin Gui (武夷 水金龟, wŭ yí shuǐ jīn guī) Wu Yi Golden Water Turtle
This mannequin of tea is a Wu Yi Si Da Ming Cong tea comprised of the ‘Shui Jin Gui’ cultivar.
Wu Yi Shui Jin Gui dry

Wu Yi Tie Luo Han (武夷 铁罗漢, wŭ yí tiě luó hàn) Wu Yi Iron Monk Arhat
This mannequin of tea is the oldest of the Wu Yi Si Da Ming Cong tea comprised of the ‘Tie Luo Han’ cultivar.

Wu Yi Bai Ji Guan (武夷 白鸡冠, wŭ yí bái jī guān) Wu Yi White Cockscomb
That’s recognized in China as a Wu Yi Si Da Ming Cong mannequin of tea. The leaves from the ‘Bai Ji Guan’ cultivar appear white-ish, due to this fact the title. The finished tea is made up of prolonged, curled yellow-brown strips.

Completely different Wu Yi Cultivars

These cultivars are normally not included inside the Si Da Ming Cong (四大名丛) teas and are commonly known as Qi Zhong (奇种)—really, the weird varieties.

Wu Yi Rou Gui (武夷 肉桂, wŭ yí ròu guì) Wu Yi Cassia or Wu Yi Cinnamon
This mannequin of Wu Yi tea is named after the distinctive cinnamon notes in tea steeped from teas comprised of the ‘Ro Gui’ cultivar.

Wu Yi Shui Xian (武夷 水仙, wŭ yí shuǐ xiān) Wu Yi Narcissus
This mannequin of Wu Yi tea is assumed for notes of honey inside the tea liquor comprised of its leaves. The ‘Shui Xian’ cultivar is often grown elsewhere open air of the Wu Yi area, nevertheless it is usually nonetheless processed like a Wu Yi wulong.

Wulongs of Guangdong Province

Feng Huang Dan Cong
(凤凰单丛, fèng huáng dān cōng)
Feng Huang single bush or single trunk
Dan Cong refers to a way of strip-shaped wulong manufacturing whereby leaves are plucked and processed from single timber. The distinctive crops had been propagated by seed over 700 years up to now inside the Phoenix Mountain (Feng Huang Shan) space. They have been harvested and processed individually since, due to this fact the title Dan Cong or single bush. The tea producers noticed that each plant produced tea that tasted utterly completely different. Dan Cong teas are an excellent occasion of selective breeding, as a result of the crops had been named after the fragrance of the finished teas they produced and have since been asexually cloned for industrial manufacturing.

Real Dan Cong teas should be grown all through the Phoenix Mountain area in Guangdong’s Chao An County and will come from one among many well-known cultivars. It is thought that each one the Dan Cong cultivars are descendants of the ‘Shui Xian’ cultivar. Listed under are among the many well-known cultivars (remember that xiang ‘香’ means fragrance):

• Gui Hua Xiang (桂花香, guì huā xiāng) Osmanthus Fragrance
• Huang Zhi Xiang (黄栀香, huáng zhī xiāng) Gardenia Fragrance
• Jiang Hua Xiang (姜花香, jiāng huā xiāng) Ginger Flower Fragrance
• Mi Lan Xiang (米蘭香, mĭ lán xiāng) Honey Orchid Fragrance
• Rou Gui Xiang (肉桂香, ròu guì xiāng) Cinnamon Fragrance
• Xing Ren Xiang (杏仁香, xìng rén xiāng) Almond Fragrance
• Ya Shi Xiang (鸭屎香, yā shĭ xiāng) Duck Shit Fragrance
• You Hua Xiang (柚花香, yòu huā xiāng) Pomelo Flower Fragrance
• Yu Lan Xiang (玉兰香, yù lán xiāng) Magnolia Flower Fragrance
• Zhi Lan Xiang (芝蘭香, zhī lán xiāng) Orchid Fragrance

Completely different Chinese language language Wulongs

Lan Gui Ren (兰贵人, lán guì rén) Lady Orchid
This tea is usually referred to as Ginseng Wulong because of the tea is processed with powdered American Ginseng root and licorice root powder after which rolled into tiny solid-looking pellets.
Lan Gui Ren dry leaves (13.9 g) and liquor.

Beforehand commonly known as Formosa, Taiwan is a small island that lies on the Tropic of Most cancers merely off the east coast of Fujian province. Taiwan occupies an area merely 0.4% the size of mainland China. Given its proximity to Fujian province, Taiwan is understood for its manufacturing of wulong tea; 90% of tea produced there could also be wulong.4 The island is able to produce a myriad of wulong varieties because of micro-climates of the utterly completely different rising areas, a product of the large variations in elevation all through the island. Because of Pinyin solely grew to turn into the same old strategy of romanization in Taiwan in 2009, you will seemingly encounter many Wade-Giles spellings of tea phrases when shopping for Taiwan wulongs.

Nantou Dong Ding (南投 冻顶, nán tóu dòng dĭng) Nantou Frozen Summit
Arguably in all probability probably the most well-known of the half-ball-style Taiwan wulongs hails from Nantou County in central Taiwan from the areas surrounding Dong Ding mountain. Dong Ding wulong is usually produced using leaves from the ‘Qing Xin’ cultivar of tea plant. Current leaves destined to turn into Dong Ding wulong are withered inside the photo voltaic and tumbled to bruise the sides of the leaves. Subsequent an iterative course of begins whereby the leaves are withered, then bruised extra many events. As quickly as the required amount of oxidation has been reached, the leaves are mounted. As quickly as mounted, the leaves are kneaded whereas wrapped in material. The leaf mass varieties an honest ball that is then rigorously broken apart and kneaded as soon as extra. This step is liable for forming the half-ball type of these wulongs. As quickly as the required kind is achieved, the leaves are dried. Dong Ding wulongs are normally produced with lower portions of roast and oxidation.

Muzha Tie Guan Yin (木栅 铁观音, mù zhà tiĕ guān yīn) Muzha Iron Goddess of Mercy
Muzha Tie Guan Yin is Taiwan’s mannequin of Fujian’s half-ball mannequin Tie Guan Yin. Traditionally, this tea was intently roasted sooner than being purchased, nevertheless instantly the sample seems to be that wulongs promote increased when roasted little or no, or in no way. Muzha Tie Guan Yin is a half ball-style wulong produced from the ‘Tie Guan Yin’ cultivar using the cloth-wrapped kneading course of.

Wen Shan Bao Zhong (文山 包种, wén shān bāo zhŏng) Wen Shan Wrapped Selection
Bao Zhong is a strip-style wulong from the Wen Shan area of Northern Taiwan. Compared with completely different Taiwan wulongs, Bao Zhong is usually the least oxidized wulong mannequin. Its oxidation ranges are sometimes successfully beneath 20%. The title “wrapped sort” comes from an earlier packaging method the place Bao Zhong leaves had been packaged in folded paper wrapping for selling. To make Bao Zhong, leaves from the ‘Qing Xin’ cultivar are withered inside the photo voltaic, withered indoors, flippantly tossed to impress oxidation, rolled and dried.

Dong Fang Mei Ren (东方美人, dōng fāng mĕi rén) Oriental Magnificence
This mannequin of tea is usually referred to as Bai Hao or White Tip wulong on account of utilizing buds inside the accomplished tea. Dong Fang Mei Ren hails from the Hsinchu Metropolis area of Northern Taiwan and is produced from the ‘Qing Xin Da Mao’ cultivar. This strip-shaped wulong is intently withered and intently oxidized to 70–80%. The oxidation course of begins whereas the leaves are nonetheless related to the plant inside the topic as quickly because the unsprayed leaves are bitten by jassids and completely different bugs. The plant in flip creates further polyphenols to inhibit extra insect assault.

Gao Shan (高山, gāo shān) Extreme Mountain
Really Extreme Mountain, Gao Shan is a designation given to any wulong grown at an elevation elevated than 1000 m. Most likely probably the most well-known rising areas above 1000 m are Ali Shan, Shan Lin Xi, Li Shan and Da Yu Ling. Da Yu Ling is the very best rising mountain at 2400 m. Teas grown in these areas are sometimes a lot much less oxidized and unroasted with a view to showcase the actual qualities that these extreme mountain teas possess. Qing Xin, Jin Xuan, Cuiyu and Si Ji Chun are the popular cultivars of tea plant cultivated inside the extreme mountain areas.
Gao Shan (Jin Xuan from Alishan) dry leaves (13.9 g) and liquor.

Effectively-known Taiwan Wulong Cultivars

These cultivars are usually purchased by title solely; completely different events they’re grown above 1000 m and referred to as Gao Shan. The reason I file them out proper right here is that you will normally see them referred to as out by title.

Jin Xuan (金萱, jīn xuān) Golden Lily
Jin Xuan is a well known cultivar from Taiwan recognized for producing a creamy mouthfeel and milk-like aroma or nai xiang (奶香) when steeped. Many “milk wulongs” out there available on the market will embrace artificial flavorings, nevertheless true Jin Xuan possesses nai xiang with none adulterants. This cultivar was created by the Tea Evaluation and Extension Station and is usually referred to as TRES #12.

Si Ji Chun (四季春, sì jì chūn) 4 Seasons of Spring
As its title suggests, this cultivar produces a fragrant spring-like crop yr spherical. Because of this, it has moreover been given the nickname evergreen.

Cuiyu (翠玉. cuì yù) Inexperienced Jade
This cultivar is widespread for making flippantly oxidized or jade wulongs. This cultivar was created by the Tea Evaluation and Extension Station and is usually referred to as TRES #13.

Qing Xin (青心, qīng xīn) Inexperienced Coronary coronary heart
This cultivar may be referred to as Ruan Zhi (軟枝). Ruan Zhi means delicate stem, and it is normally transliterated as Luan Ze.

Completely different Taiwan Wulongs

Gui Fei (贵妃, guì fēi) Treasured Concubine
Gui Fei is a technique of tea that is processed equally to Dong Feng Meiren moreover that it is rolled proper right into a half-ball kind in its place of strip kind. Just like Dong Feng Mei Ren, it is grown pesticide-free and is allowed to be bitten by jassids. Gui Fei is often extraordinarily oxidized and flippantly roasted.

Jia Xie Prolonged Cha (佳叶龙茶, jiā xié lóng chá) GABA Tea
This mannequin of tea is uncovered to nitrogen all through oxidation. The presence of nitrogen and absence of oxygen all through processing converts glutamic acid to gamma-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA. GABA tea can really be produced as any type of oxidized tea, nevertheless it is most incessantly produced as wulong. GABA has been touted for its nicely being benefits for years, nevertheless newest evaluation implies that GABA is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, thus discounting plenty of the nicely being claims made by GABA producers.