Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
The name oolong tea comes into the English language from the Chinese name (烏龍茶), which is pronounced as O·-liông tê in the Min Nan spoken variant. The Chinese name means "black dragon tea".
Oolong is somewhere between green and black in oxidation. It ranges from 10% to 70% oxidation.
Oolong tea leaves are often processed and rolled into long curly leaves or into ball-like form similar to gunpowder tea.
In Chinese tea culture, semi-oxidized oolong teas are collectively grouped as qīngchá (青茶; literally "blue-green tea"). Oolong has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea: it lacks the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea but it likewise does not have the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. The best Oolong has a nuanced flavor profile. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet and pleasant aftertaste. Oolongs produced in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province and in the Central Mountains of Taiwan are world famous.
Oolong teas should be brewed around 90 °C to 100 °C (194 °F to 212 °F), and again the brewing vessel should be warmed before pouring in the water. Yixing purple clay teapots are the ideal brewing vessel for oolong tea. For best results use spring water, as the minerals in spring water tend to bring out more flavour in the tea.
Generally, 2.25 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water, or about two teaspoons of oolong tea per cup, should be used. Oolong teas should be steeped for 3 - 4 minutes.
Formosa Oolong is oolong (烏龍茶) teas grown and produced in Taiwan. Taiwan is also known as Formosa from the Portuguese Ilha Formosa, meaning "beautiful island”.
The earliest record of tea trees found in Taiwan can be traced back to 1717 in Shi Sha Lien (水沙連), present-day Yuchih (魚池) and Puli (埔里), Nantou County.
According to Lien Hen (連橫; Taiwanese historian), in the late 18 century, Ke Chao (柯朝) brought some tea tree from Fuchien, China into Taiwan and planted in Jie Yu Keng (櫛魚坑), currently known as Rueifang (瑞芳) in Taipei County (台北縣). However, transaction records indicated that tea business in Muzha (木柵, Taipei 台北市) area started as early as late 18th century. Thus we can believe that tea has been merchandised in Taiwan for more than 2 centuries.
In 1855, Lin Feng Chi (林鳳池) brought the Cing Shin Oolong (青心烏龍) plants from Wuyi Mountain (Fujien Province, China) (武夷山，福建，中國) into Taiwan and planted in Dongding Village (Lugu, Nantou County, Taiwan) (凍頂鄉，南投，台灣). This is said to be the origin of Dongding Oolong from Taiwan.
In 1867, English tea trader Jon Dodd started a tea company in Wanhua, Taipei (萬華，台北市), and started to sell Taiwanese oolong tea to the world under the name "Formosa Oolong", and the Pouchong oolong was considered to be more flowery than Baihao Oolong, Pouchong was exported under the name "Formosa Pouching". Formosa Baihao Oolong is very fruity in taste and got the name "Oriental Beauty" from Queen Elizabeth II in the 1960s, thus "Formosa Oolong" became popular in the western world for "Oriental Beauty" (東方美人茶).
In fact, Dongding (凍頂), Baihao (白毫) and Pouchong (包種) are all categorized as Oolong tea, which contributes a large part of Taiwan tea industry. As Taiwan is lucky to have great environment for tea growing, and with the developing of tea technology, Taiwan has produced many top quality teas, all can be called as “Formosa Tea”. The best known ones including "Formosa Dongding oolong", "Formosa Alishan Oolong", "Formosa Wenshan Pouchong","Formosa Oriental Beauty", "Formosa Shanlinxi Oolong", "Formosa Jade Oolong" and more.
Classification and Grade
Tea connoisseurs classify the tea by its aroma (often fragrant or flowery), taste and aftertaste (often melony). Oolongs comes in either roasted (炭焙) or light (密香 or 清香). While most oolongs can be consumed immediately postproduction, like pu-erh tea, many oolong can benefit from long aging with regular light roasting with a low charcoal fire (烘培, literally: bake cultivation or 焙火, dry roasting by fire). Before roasting, Oolong tea leaves are rolled and bruised to break open cell walls and stimulate enzymatic activity. The process of roasting removes unwanted odours from the tea and reduces any sour or astringent tastes; in addition, the process is believed to make the oolong tea more gentle on the stomach.
- Dòng Dǐng (凍頂)
- The name means Cold Summit. Dong Ding is a mountain in Nantou County, Central Taiwan. This is a tightly rolled tea with a light, distinctive fragrance.
- Dong Fang Mei Ren (東方美人茶)
- The name means Oriental (Eastern) Beauty. Also known as Bai Hao Oolong. This tea is tippy, with natural fruity aromas and a sweet tasting bright red tea liquor.
- Alishan (阿里山茶)
- This has large rolled leaves that have a purple-green appearance when dry. It is grown in Chiayi County, Taiwan at an elevation of from 3000 to 4500 feet. There is a short period of the day with full sun and this produces a sweeter and less astringent brew. It produces a golden yellow liquid which has a unique fruity aroma.
- Pouchong (包種茶)
- Also romanized as Baozhong, the lightest and most floral Oolong, with unrolled leaves of a light green to brown color. Originally grown in Fujian it is now widely cultivated and produced in Pinglin Township near Taipei, Taiwan.
Lei cha
Lei cha (擂茶; literally "pounded tea") is a Hakka tea-based beverage or gruel consisting of a mix of tea leaves that are ground or pounded together with various roasted nuts, seeds, and grains. The tea is drunk for breakfast or on cold winters as a tasty and healthy restorative. Lei cha is very popular in Taiwan, Southern China, Malaysia as well as any locations with a large population of Hakka people
Lei cha is traditionally a savory drink, however now it is usually consumed sweet.
Although commercially prepared and prepackaged Lei cha can be bought, the drink is usually made "from scratch" just as it is about to be consumed.
The any type of tea leaves can be used however, the most popular and common are either Green tea or Oolong. For ease of use, sometimes matcha is used. Roasted peanuts, mung beans, and sesame are most commonly used seeds and nuts in Lei cha, however other types may be used. Such as: cooked or puffed rice, roasted soybeans, lentils, lotus seeds, pinenuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, wheat.
The ingredients are ground in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle until it is reduced to a powder resembling fine cornmeal. The powder is then place into a serving bowl and hot water is stirred into it such that a thin soup-like beverage is produced.