乌龙茶 oolong tea

1 Concept | What is oolong tea

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In a narrow sense, "oolong" refers to one of many varieties of tea trees.

What we call "Oolong" mostly refers to its broad sense, that is, a semi-fermented tea, also called green tea. Together with green tea, black tea, white tea, yellow tea and dark tea, it is listed as the six major tea families in China.

2 | The source of aroma and taste

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The severity of fermentation, the change of craftsmanship, and the diversity of origin (tree species) have jointly created the rich and colorful taste and aroma of oolong tea.

The biggest feature of oolong tea is that making green (Oolong unique process) causes oolong tea to undergo slight fermentation (oxidation), that is, partial fermentation, which transforms the taste and aroma, resulting in endlessly changing aroma types.

It is precisely because of the severity of fermentation, the variety of processes, and the variety of origins that oolong tea has a variety of flavors and aromas. ", "Honey Fragrance", arranged and combined, came out gradually.

3 | Genres

a | Two form factors

There are too many schools and divisions of oolong tea (such as craftsmanship, variety, aroma type, etc.), so I will not introduce them one by one. When you first know it, it is better to start with the appearance. It is very simple. There are two types: Baokun pie and Tiaosuo pie.

Different origins and different schools have their own fixed shapes. For example, Yancha in northern Fujian and Dancong in Guangdong generally use strips, Tieguanyin in southern Fujian is wrapped in balls, and Taiwan has both.

b | Four origins

Modern oolong tea can basically be divided into four major factions according to the origin: southern Fujian, northern Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. Among them, Fujian Oolong has the largest output.

Each origin is differentiated into finer categories according to different craftsmanship and varieties.

Northern Fujian Oolong (Tiao Suo Pie)

Represents: Cinnamon, Narcissus, Da Hong Pao

Northern Fujian Oolong is mainly concentrated in the area of Wuyi Mountain, also known as Wuyi Rock Tea. There are four famous clusters (Bantianyao, Baijiguan, Tie Luohan, and Shuijingui, all of which are tea species).

The most common varieties are cinnamon and narcissus. There is also a saying in Wuyi Mountain that "the alcohol is not as good as narcissus, and the fragrance is not as good as cinnamon". The "horse meat" and "beef" we mentioned before are the cinnamon from Matouyan and the cinnamon from Niulankeng, respectively.

"Yan Yun" is the biggest characteristic of rock tea. After the northern Fujian oolong is roasted, there will be a "rock bone flower fragrance" brought by charcoal roasting, which has a mineral-like tea base taste and a high sweet floral fragrance. Wuyi Rock Tea pays special attention to the influence of mountain fields on the tea itself, which is similar to the concept of terroir in wine.

Hokkien Oolong (Baked Pie)

Representative: Tieguanyin

Minnan Oolong originated in Anxi, Quanzhou, and the main product is Tieguanyin. The method of wrapping and kneading is basically close to spherical, and the floral fragrance is very pleasing. In addition, there are actually hairy crab, Benshan, Huangqi (Golden Gui), Oolong and other varieties.

Guangdong Oolong (Tiao Suo Pie)

Representative: Phoenix Dancong

Guangdong Oolong is mainly concentrated in the Chaoshan area, especially the Fenghuang Dancong in Fenghuang Mountain in Chaoan (now also written as Fenghuang Dancong) is the most famous. Cantonese people are accustomed to naming tea varieties by aroma type, and the most productive ones should be Huangzhixiang and Milanxiang. In addition, because of the special tree species and varied aromas, there are also magnolia, zhilan, sweet-scented osmanthus, almond, nocturnal, ginger, cinnamon and jasmine, as well as wonderful ginger, sweet potato and duck. Shit smell and so on.

Taiwan Oolong (striped, wrapped and kneaded)

Representatives: Wenshan Baozhong, Dongding Oolong, Oriental Beauty

Taiwanese Oolong and Minnan Oolong have a deep relationship. In the early days of Fujian immigrants, they brought a large number of tea tree species and crafts to Taiwan. More than 90% of the tea in Taiwan is oolong tea.

Today, Taiwanese tea is becoming more and more sophisticated in its pursuit of craftsmanship, and it also has its own advantages of high mountain tea. Therefore, Taiwanese Oolong has become independent and has become a major branch of Chinese Oolong.