Green Oolong Tea 5th Grade (#1013)

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea. It’s made from the same plant used in black and green teas, but the leaves are processed differently.

This tea-making process is called oxidation. Exposing the tea leaves to air causes them to ferment, and the length of time a tea maker allows the leaves to oxidize impacts the tea’s color, flavor, and to an extent, its nutritional content. 

Green tea is unoxidized, which helps it retain some plant-based antioxidantslike catechins, which would be lost or converted during oxidation. Black tea is fully oxidized, giving it a deeper, richer flavor. This fermentation process also forms nutrients called theaflavins, powerful antioxidants unique to oxidized teas.

Oolong teas fall somewhere in between green and black tea. Products sold range from low to high levels of oxidation, and the color of the tea gets darker based on how long the leaves were left to ferment. Greener oolong teas tend to have a rich, earthy taste, while darker varieties offer a more roasted flavor.