Oolong sits between green and black tea: the leaves are partly oxidized, so the flavour can range from fresh and floral to dark and roasted.
Taiwanese high mountain oolongs such as Ali Shan High Mountain are creamy and floral. Tie Guan Yin is the famous orchid-scented oolong from Anxi, and Wuyi rock teas like Da Hong Pao are roasted and mineral.
Popular picks include Quangzhou Milk Oolong, with its naturally creamy texture, Oriental Beauty Oolong, with honey and fruit notes, and Gaba Oolong. For flavoured options, see our oolong tea blends.
Use 1 to 2 teaspoons per 250 ml cup and water at 85 to 96°C. Use the lower end for green, floral oolongs and the higher end for roasted ones. Steep 3 to 5 minutes, or brew gongfu style with more leaf and many short 20 to 40 second steeps.
Good oolong is made to be re-steeped. Rolled oolongs often give 3 to 5 western-style infusions, and even more with gongfu brewing, as the leaves slowly unfurl.
Milk oolong is usually made from the Jin Xuan cultivar, which has a naturally creamy, buttery taste and aroma. There is no milk in the tea itself.
GABA oolong is processed with a period of oxygen-free fermentation, which raises its natural GABA content and gives it a sweet, fruity, slightly tangy flavour, a bit like dried fruit or baked apple.