Coppery and light in the cup, this oolong from the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian province leans earthy and toasty, with a bold character that comes through fast. The tasting profile runs lemon and honey up front, roasted and coffee-like underneath, settling into an earthy finish — the kind of cup that rewards a slow first sip before you decide what you're tasting.
The tea's name carries its own legend. Story has it that oolong first appeared during the Song Dynasty, when producers competed to impress emperors with tribute teas. Workers at the Beiyuan garden in Fujian broke from convention — emperors were used to receiving compressed teacakes — and sent a dark, loose-leaf tea instead. It was a hit, and the variety came to be called Wulong, "Black Dragon," a name that eventually softened into Oolong in English. How much of that story is fact and how much is folklore is genuinely disputed, but it's the tale that's followed the tea ever since.
Oolong sits in the middle ground of tea processing, between green and black, and this one carries that in-between character clearly: earthy weight balanced against a toasted note. Tea & Coffee packs it fresh to order at its Kent factory.
To brew it, use water cooled to around 90°C and steep for about three minutes. It works honeyed or with a twist of lemon, or plain if you'd rather taste it unadorned. Oolong has long been drunk as a digestive aid and a general tonic, though that's tradition speaking rather than settled science.
