Enjoying a cup of oolong tea conjures up the Chinese countryside, lush and verdant, fragrant blossoms and glossy leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, and tea growers with baskets to their sides, bending to their tasks. Every oolong tea leaf is infused with that beauty and serenity, and that, along with its aroma and flavor, have made it one of the most popular teas in homes and restaurants today.
There’s the reality of oolong harvesting, but the legends of its origins, as well as how it came to be called oolong, change with every teller. What we do know is that oolong tea, a semi-oxidized, light to dark brown tea, began its history sometime between the 10th and 16th centuries in China. Whether a product of the Song dynasty or Ming, today we care only about its flavor and the beneficial qualities still available after its minor processing.
Often, oolong tea is scented with night-blooming Jasmine blossoms over a period of several nights, when Jasmine is at its most fragrant. But not all oolongs are blossom-scented. Oolong tea comes in several varieties. The most popular are Wuji, Guan Yin and Taiwan.
Wuji tea is a darker tea, unscented and very strong. It’s used in some recipes which require a robust taste. Guan Yin or Kuan Yin tea, is grassy and light, and is named for the Buddhist goddess of compassion or “She Who Hears The Cries Of The World.” Taiwan oolong is darker and very flavorful. There are other oolongs as well; your best bet is to try them all and find the one you like the best. Lighter and darker teas require different methods of preparation, but those instructions always appear on the label.
So oolong tea tastes great! But what about its health benefits? As discussed earlier, the closer to natural, unoxidized tea leaves are left, the higher the concentration of antioxidants intact, specifically catechins, a kind of polyphenol. Black tea, the most highly processed, has the fewest catechins, since they are mostly lost during its long oxidation. Oolong in contrast, is allowed only a short oxidation, so while it doesn’t have as many catechins (including EGCG) as green or white tea, it actually has more non-catechin polyphenols and more theaflavin tearubigins, which is thought to be analogous to EGCG. Tearubigins are actually formed during the oxidation process. They have weight-loss and antioxidant properties only a little weaker than green and white teas.
Fewer scientific studies than those on green tea have been conducted into the benefits of oolong tea, but research is ongoing. The potential benefits of oolong tea, assuming the polythenols it does have are available to the body, are great. What is known at this point is that oolong tea shares many of the same benefits as green tea, such as the ability to lower cholesterol, mitigate against some types of cancer cells and so forth. In addition, the polyphenols in oolong tea can penetrate the brain barrier preventing some kinds of age-related and HIV dementia.
All teas have some health benefits in greater or smaller proportions. Experiment with their different flavors, enjoy tea with friends and loved ones, and allow the scent, the taste and the history of tea to calm you in a stressful world.
Regardless of the tea you choose, it’s still a healthful beverage with lots of goodness in it.