Oolong tea | Garden Direct Organic Teas

Oolong

The art of making oolong emerged in the Fujian province of China during the Ming Dynasty. Today, Fujian and Guangdong provinces and Taiwan are the largest producers of oolong. Oolong tea has a fantastic range of flavors that can range from light and floral teas to dark, complex and roasted. Oolong tea is the most complicated tea to make. An experienced tea master is required who understands the many intricate steps in the processing of tea leaves. Oolong is a semi-oxidized tea. During manufacture, the leaves undergo drying, shaking, rolling, oxidation and roasting. Simplified, we can describe oolong as something in between green and black tea. The best of both worlds - healthy and natural as green, a certain fullness as in blacks. In general, oolong is stronger than green and lighter than black.

The secret of the oolong teas lies in the interrupted oxidation. While green teas are not oxidized at all and black teas are completely oxidized, the oolong teas are in the spectrum in between. Hence the technical term semi-oxidized teas. The theme maker starts the oxidation by some form of kneading / rolling that exposes the leaf cells to oxygen. After careful monitoring and various forms of rolling / refining, the oxidation is interrupted via heating, this must be done at exactly the right moment. Low-oxidized varieties are recognizable by greener color and usually light, floral flavors - while highly oxidized varieties give a darker color and fuller, more fruity character. Many varieties are also roasted a little extra towards the end for a roasted aroma. Oolong is a type of tea that requires a lot of craftsmanship and here we find a wide range of multifaceted teas.

Thanks to the variety and a low bitterness, we usually name the oolong tea as the ultimate meal tea. You can find an oolong tea for all meals. With advantage, you choose low-oxidized teas for elegant dishes, while full-bodied, high-oxidized teas stand up well to strong flavors. At the same time, oolong has a strange property of being able to match all conceivable flavors. For example, a Tie guan yin is a delicacy for mapo tofu as well as cream cake.

Brewing

The oolong teas are very grateful to brew, they often tolerate boiling water as well as longer brewing times without developing bitterness. At the same time, every tea master loves to fine-tune the oolong teas' brewing times and dosages to find the right balance and subtle nuances. Common to oolong tea is that the same blade can advantageously be brewed several times. Brew in a large western jug, but you get the ultimate oolong experience through the “gong fu method”, ie a lot of leaves in small jugs and many, short brews.

The oolong teas are very forgiving when brewing, they rarely get too bitter, they can withstand boiling water. So a good beginner while at the same time being appreciated by all Chinese and Taiwanese tea masters.

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Bai Hao
119 kr – 439 kr
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Balyocha
139 kr – 539 kr
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Duck Shit Phoenix Oolong
159 kr – 579 kr
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Guanyin Red Robe
155 kr – 589 kr
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Hehuan Mountain Oolong
139 kr – 499 kr
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Hehuan Mountain Roasted Oolong
139 kr – 499 kr
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Himalayan Bouquet
139 kr – 529 kr
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Phoenix Honey Orchid
139 kr – 529 kr
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Shui Xian Water Sprite
179 kr – 499 kr
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Si Ji Chun
179 kr – 499 kr
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Si Ji Chun, Charcoal Roasted
179 kr – 499 kr
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Tie Guanyin Lan Yun
139 kr – 499 kr
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Tie Guanyin Lili Xiang
139 kr – 499 kr
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Wenshan Baozhong
145 kr – 369 kr
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With us you can buy organic oolong tea online or in our physical store in Stockholm. We are also wholesalers and supply tea to restaurants and retailers. Oolong tea is also suitable for kombucha as our teas are both organic and of very high quality. If you prepare our teas in a bag (disposable filter), it is important that the bag is large enough so that the leaves can be unfolded properly. Oolong tea has a large amount of antioxidants and is well known for being useful and healthy.

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