Oolong tea RSS

Earl Grey is a classic tea with a distinctive taste that is loved by many, making it one of the most popular tea blends around. This delicately fragrant and refreshing tea is traditionally made as a blend of Chinese black tea flavoured with aromatic bergamot oil, but it can also be made with other black teas, as well as green, white, oolong and rooibos, and blended with flower petals and fruits for added interest.

Some of the world’s finest oolong teas are produced in Taiwan, a small island situated in the western Pacific Ocean, that was once known as ‘Formosa’. It was so named after being discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1542, who called it ‘Ilha Formosa’, meaning ‘beautiful island’.

Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea originating from the Wuyi Mountains and Anxi district of the Fujian Province, with a history going back over centuries. Made from the leaves, stems and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant, Oolong teas are in a class of their own, being neither green nor black teas, but somewhere in between. The characteristics of a particular Oolong depend on how long the leaves have been allowed to oxidize, creating a diverse range of flavours. Teas that undergo 10-45% oxidation are more like green teas, with fresh and delicate flavours and aromas, whereas those further oxidized by 40-70% become more like black teas; full-bodied, with woody or sweet caramel notes, and toasty aromas. Leaves will vary in colour, from different shades of green to golden brown and darker.