Wholesale Oolong Teas

on being diverse
Oolong teas are incredibly diverse. Whether you like floral and green, or roasted and fruity, there is an oolong to suit just about everyone. Oolongs fall between black and green teas in terms of oxidation. Oolongs can be oxidized anywhere from 8 to 85 percent, so there is a huge range of flavor to be coaxed out of the delicate leaves. It’s amazing that the skill of the tea master can produce such different flavors depending on how the tea is processed.

on making the most of their oxidation
Greener oolongs look like green teas in appearance, but do have a little bit of oxidation. Because of this, they have floral notes along with the light vegetal flavors. They can also have a soothing, creamy flavor. Many green oolongs are rolled into a tight bead-like shape, so you can tell right away that you’re dealing with an oolong tea and not a green tea. Most oolongs come from either China or Taiwan, although you can find oolongs being produced in Indian and Nepal. Popular types of green oolongs alishan, bao zhong, and tie guan yin (iron goddess of mercy). There are amazing nuances among these green oolongs. For example, teas grown at higher-elevations such as the alishan, have a more concentrated sweet floral flavor while others will have a buttery texture and flavor due to the plant cultivar that is used.

Move to the oolongs with a medium oxidation, and you start to get mellow, toasty, and woodsy flavors. Dong Ding oolong is a very popular choice, and is a bit more oxidized than the green oolongs. It has a lovely nutty flavor and can often be found roasted which gives a lovely toasty note to the tea. Oriental Beauty has a lovely nutty characteristic but also produces sweet fruity notes due to little insects that munch on the leaves. This causes the leaves to start oxidizing before they’re even picked, bringing out the honey and fruit flavors.

The darkest oolongs are those that have even more oxidation and roasting. The oolongs grown on the cliffs of the Wuyi Mountains such as da hong pao are rich and fruity, with a pronounced sweetness. The Wuyi teas are also called ‘rock’ teas since they are grown on the cliffs and have a touch of mineral flavor. You can taste the essence of the cliffs in these teas. Head on over to Phoenix mountain and you’ll find the dan cong oolongs, which also have a unique flavor profile. These teas have an intensely floral flavor that is completely natural. You’ll find dan congs that taste like orchids, and some like orange blossoms, but flowers have not actually been added to the tea! These are unique and expensive teas that are worth seeking out in sample sizes to try as many as you can. These teas have dark and twisted leaves that are quite striking.

on being treated right
To get the most flavor out of your oolongs, you’ll need to use the right water temperature and vessel. Refer to the package for the temperature, as greener oolongs will require temps below boiling and more oxidized and roasted oolongs will need hot boiling water. You’ll need to use a vessel wide enough for your beautiful leaves to expand and give you as much flavor as possible. A gaiwan is the perfect way to extract as much flavor as possible using a good amount of leaves and short steeps. A small yixing teapot dedicated to your favorite type of loose-leaf oolong tea is also a perfect way to let those leaves expand fully and express themselves.