Because they are to produce a full-bodied beverage, the leaves for
oolong must not be picked too early or at too tender a stage, but
just when they reach their peak. They must be processed immediately.
Unlike leaves for green tea, those destined to be oolong are wilted
in direct sunlight. Then they are shaken in tubular bamboo baskets
to bruise the leaf edges. This bruising is what makes the edges
oxidize faster than the center.
The
leaves are alternately shaken and spread out to air-dry several
times until the veins become transparent and the leaf surface
yellows. The edges become reddish as a result of oxidation, while
the center remains green, and the leaves give off an orchid-like
fragrance. The fermentation is arrested halfway through by firing.
The temperature for oolong is higher than for other teas. The final
product contains less moisture, which enables it to keep longer.
Oolong is produced in Fujian, the province of its origin, and some
other mainland provinces. The technique for processing it was taken
by Fukienese migrants to Taiwan, and that island's Tungting (Dongding)
oolong is well known. There may be some difference among mainland
and Taiwanese oolongs in taste and medical function, due to
different soil, processing, and fermentation time. Oolongs from the
mainland are said to have more body, the result of longer oxidation,
than those from Taiwan. oolong is the tea most often served in
Chinese restaurants in the United States and south China.
