Oolong Tea
Oolong is a partially oxidized Chinese and Taiwanese tea style that sits between green and black tea, prized for a complex range running from light and floral to dark and toasty depending on oxidation level.
How to buy
Look for tightly rolled or twisted whole leaves, and decide between lightly oxidized styles like Tie Guan Yin (floral, creamy) or heavily roasted styles like Da Hong Pao (dark, toasty, almost fruity). Fresh leaves smell vibrant, not flat.
How to store
Keep in an airtight, opaque container away from light and moisture. Use within about a year, though heavily roasted oolongs tend to hold their flavor a bit longer than lightly oxidized ones.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Ranges from light, floral, and creamy in lightly oxidized styles to dark, toasty, and almost fruity in heavily roasted ones. Generally less grassy than green tea and less tannic than black tea.
- Texture
- As a brewed beverage, the main textural quality is a smooth, rounded mouthfeel, often less astringent than black tea.
- Aroma
- Floral and orchid-like in lighter styles, roasted and woodsy in darker, more oxidized styles.
How to prepare
- Gongfu-style steeping — Brewed in small vessels with multiple short steeps to draw out evolving flavor.
- Western-style steeping — Steeped longer in a full pot for a simpler, everyday cup.
- Iced — Brewed strong, then cooled and served over ice.
- Used for smoking — Burned to infuse meat or poultry with a fragrant, subtly smoky aroma.
Classic dishes
American
- Oolong milk tea latte — Brewed oolong combined with steamed milk for a modern café drink.
- Oolong tea ice cream — A custard-based ice cream infused with oolong for a toasty, floral flavor.
- Oolong-brined roast chicken — Chicken brined with a strong oolong infusion for subtle fragrance before roasting.
- Oolong cocktail — A modern cocktail using brewed oolong as an aromatic mixer.
Chinese
- Gongfu tea ceremony — A traditional multi-steep brewing ritual built specifically around oolong's evolving flavor.
- Oolong bubble tea — Sweetened oolong shaken with milk and chewy tapioca pearls.
- Oolong tea-smoked duck — Duck smoked over oolong leaves for a fragrant, subtly sweet aroma.
- Oolong tea eggs — Hard-boiled eggs steeped in oolong tea and spices for a marbled look and flavor.
- Yum cha tea pairing — Oolong served alongside dim sum as part of the traditional tea-drinking meal.
- Iced oolong tea — Brewed strong and chilled, a popular everyday refreshment.
- Oolong-steamed fish — A Cantonese-style preparation where fish is steamed with a fragrant oolong infusion.
- Tie Guan Yin tea tasting — A lightly oxidized, floral oolong served for its delicate, orchid-like aroma.
- Da Hong Pao tea service — A heavily roasted, mineral-rich oolong prized among tea connoisseurs.
French
- Oolong-infused crème brûlée — A custard infused with oolong before being topped with caramelized sugar.
- Oolong-poached pears — Pears gently poached in an oolong tea syrup until tender.
Substitutions
- Black Tea — Black tea can stand in for oolong in iced tea or milk tea preparations, though it brings a bolder, more tannic flavor instead of oolong's floral or toasty complexity.