Orange Blossom Oolong

‘What Took Oolong To Get Here?'

If you want the best of both the green and black tea worlds, step right up to a heavenly cup of oolong tea. You won’t be sorry.

Oolong teas are only partially oxidized, which gives them body and flavor characteristics somewhere between black tea and green tea, depending on the type of leaf and how long it was oxidized. Processing oolong tea takes a true artisan as every step needs careful timing and precision to create the tea’s balanced and complex attributes.

As with all our handcrafted tea selections, the process begins by hand-plucking the top two leaves and a bud of the tea plant. The leaves are then withered outdoors to remove the moisture generated by plucking leaves, before they’re moved indoors for, you guessed it, more withering. The second round of withering is combined with gentle tossing which bruises the leaves, energizing their cell membranes and allowing for oxidation to begin. All this craftsmanship combined with hard science is what triggers not only the leaf’s color but the ultimate aroma it will radiate.

After all the withering, tossing and bruising, the leaves are pan-fired to halt the oxidation process. Our variety leaves are stir fried in a large pan over high heat.

While they’re still moist, the leaves are rolled and twisted. This rolling and twisting creates more bruising which, in turn, gives the leaves their unique color and flavor. After rolling, the leaves are allowed to dry – a step that’s sometimes repeated at different temperatures to produce subtle variations in taste.