Can You Call Wu Yi Tea, Oolong Tea?

Simple! Because wu yi tea is oolong tea. Confusing? It is not, really, but first you should know a few things about the various types of tea.

All real tea comes from a plant called Camellia sinensis. Afterwards, the processing dictates the final tea variety.

We will start with black tea as it is the most popular tea in the Western world accounting for 75% of tea production. Tea leaves are harvested and left out to wither. Afterwards, they are rolled either by machine (CTC – cut tear curl) or by hand (orthodox) to release more moisture. The CTC method produces rather crushed up leaves while the traditional orthodox method allows the leaves to remain more intact.

They are then spread out in a cool, damp place to oxidize. This turns the leaves from green to brownish color. The tea leaves are then dried using hot air. Finally, the tea is sorted into various grades depending the final leaf size.

Green tea processing is quite like black tea processing, however, there is no oxidative process. After drying, the tea is steamed before rolling and the final drying stage. Although this leaves more viable phytochemicals (nutrients) in green tea, the tea does not taste very much like black tea. It has a sort of bitter flavor.

White tea comes from the “baby” leaves on the Camellia sinensis plant. It can only be harvested a few days in a year when the buds of the plant have yet to fully open. It is then processed similarly to green tea, but because the leaves are so young, the tea has a smoother, more delicate flavor. White tea has only been available for worldwide distribution as it was once reserved only for the Chinese nobility. True white tea remains rather expensive.

Oolong tea is the best of both worlds because it is only partially oxidized. This allows it to taste similar to black tea, but retain more of the natural nutrients as green tea. Obviously, this is an advantage because if you would like to reap the health benefits of green tea, but you prefer the flavor and aroma of black tea, you will enjoy oolong tea more.

So, what of the naming business? Not all oolong tea is wu yi tea because wu yi tea has to be grown in the Wuyi mountain chain to be called by that name. It is simply oolong tea produced in a particular area that is well suited for growing oolong tea.

It is sort of like “New Zealand” kiwis, only they leave the oolong completely out of the name. Oolong tea can be grown in other regions, but the quality may not match that of wu yi tea. The mountain range has a great climate and fantastic soil for growing oolong tea.

Once only considered for nobility, just like white tea, wu yi has grown in popularity with the world due to its great flavor, nutritional value and weight loss capabilities.

Find out how the stars are losing weight safely and effectively with wu yi tea. Go there now and get your own free e-book by signing up to our amazing newsletter packed with tips on dieting, exercise and wu yi green tea.