By now, we know we should be drinking more tea. After all, it has a slew of potential health benefits and it’s a tasty addition to our daily water intake. If you ask most people what they prefer, they’ll likely answer either green tea or black tea. But research suggests giving a third type of tea another look: oolong tea. Here, we’re diving into all the oolong tea benefits, from the delightful flavor to the host of health perks you can get from sipping the brew on a regular basis. What is oolong tea?
“Oolong tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant, which is the exact same plant used to make green teas and black teas,” says Lena Bakovic, MS, RDN, CNSC , a registered dietitian nutritionist with Top Nutrition Coaching. The difference is in the length of time that the dried leaves are fermented. To make oolong tea, a traditional Chinese tea, the leaves are fermented longer than green tea leaves but for less time than black tea leaves. That makes it a semi-oxidized or semi-fermented tea. In this way, oolong tea is almost a combination of green and black teas, offering some benefits of both varieties. What does oolong tea taste like?
The taste of oolong tea also falls somewhere between the grassy, floral flavor of green tea and the rich, slightly bitter flavor of black tea. The flavors of oolong teas differ depending on how much fermentation, or oxidation, the leaves have undergone. Low oxidation oolong teas are lighter in color and sweeter, medium oxidation teas are richer and fruitier and high oxidation oolongs are darker and nuttier.
What’s more, the same batch of oolong tea leaves can be steeped multiple times, and the flavor will change slightly with each infusion. Oolong tea boasts powerful nutrients
“We know that green teas are a source of dietary antioxidants, and oolong tea is no different,” says Bakovic. “Polyphenols are the main types of antioxidants present in this tea. One of the main health benefits of antioxidants is that they work to scavenge cancer-producing free radicals with the body.”
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