There seems to be some confusion as to what the differences are between oolong tea and wulong or wu-long tea. More oxidized than green tea and not quite as oxidized as black tea, oolong tea is a delightful mix of the two and ranges in color from bright green and slightly fermented to dark-leafed and hearty.

Recently, one of oolong tea’s most popular claims is that it increases a body’s resting metabolism by 157%, which is greater than any other type of tea. As expected, oolong tea is popping up all over the place as the key ingredient in miracle weight loss concoctions. While the regular consumption of oolong tea has indeed been tied to an increased metabolism, this tea is a far cry from a miracle solution.

Though not miraculous in and of itself, oolong tea can also lay claim to a few other curative benefits. It helps digestion by stimulating the metabolism and helping the body break down food more quickly. It is especially good at helping the body break down carbohydrates and fat. It also alkalizes the digestive tract helping people with acid reflux or ulcers.

The antioxidants in oolong tea also help maintain health and beauty by:

• supporting strong, healthy teeth
• improving cognitive functions and mental wellness
• preventing psoriasis, eczema and allergies
• clarifying skin
• strengthening the body’s immune system

And what exactly is the difference between Oolong Tea and Wulong Tea? Well, as it turns out, absolutely nothing! Wulong is the Chinese PinYin translation, which is the generally accepted standard for translating Mandarin phonetics into western languages. Taiwan does not have a standard phonetic translation, therefore the tea has been called several different names which are all phonetically very close to wulong, and at the end of the day Wulong and Oolong are the exact same tea.

The first Mandarin character is pronounced “oo” or “wu”. The second is pronounced “long” and the third (tea) is pronounced “cha”.

Oolong Tea Information and Facts #1:
Also known as wulong or wu-long tea

Oolong tea was first exported from China to Europe in 19th century.

In 1979, China adopted a phonetic system called Han Yu Pin Yin, which uses Latin alphabets to represent sounds in Mandarin.

Under the new system, oolong tea is spelled as wulong or wu-long tea using the Latin alphabets.

That is why oolong tea is also known as wulong tea.

Oolong Tea Information and Facts #2:
Mainly grown and consumed in China and Taiwan

Unlike green tea, which is grown in over 30 countries, oolong tea is mainly cultivated in Southern China and Taiwan, and more recently in India and Nepal.

It is widely consumed by the ethnic Chinese population in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Southeast Asia.

According to Wu, black tea accounts for 77% of global tea consumption, green tea comes second at 21%, oolong tea comes last at 2%.

Oolong Tea Information and Facts #3:
Made from more matured leaves

High grade greens are bud tea. They are made from very young tea shoots or buds.

These young tea shoots can be either a single bud, one-bud-and-one-leaf or one-bud-and-two-leaves.

Oolong teas and Indian black teas are considered leaf tea. They are made from more matured leaves.

The only exception is a Taiwanese oolong tea called Oriental Beauty, which is made from one-bud-and-two-leaves.

A standard oolong pick is one bud with 2 to 4 leaves.

Oolong Tea Information and Facts #4:
Partially oxidised

Green tea is unoxidised. Black tea is fully oxidised.

Oxidation occurs when fresh tea leaves react with the oxygen molecules they come into contact with.

Oolong tea is semi-oxidised.

It is the most complex tea to process and can range from 10% to 70% oxidised.

Oolong Tea Information and Facts #5:
Complete tea nutrients

According to Harold, oolong tea’s chemical composition “would be expected to be intermediate between black tea and green tea”.

It contains the full range of tea antioxidants: catechins (found in abundance in green tea), thearubigin and theaflavin (found in black tea).

What Makes a Tea an Oolong Tea?

There are 3 main distinct types of tea which can be generally categorized as follows:

a) Green Tea: is treated or boiled following picking to prevent the leaves from oxidizing and retaining their natural colour.

b) Black Tea: is left to oxidize following picking, that’s how it gets their distinctive colour.

c) Oolong Tea: the raw leaves are sun-wilted and then bruised, which exposes their juices to the air, so the leaves oxidise and start to turn brown like a cut fruit. They are allowed to oxidise only partially, giving them a rich, floral flavour. The tea is then dried fully; locking in the rich flavors that oolong tea is known to offer. Oolong’s unique drying process creates a tea that has many metabolic stimulating attributes

Oolongs range from bright green and slightly fermented to dark-leafed and hearty. The greener varieties are less fermented. Oolong tea therefore comes in a wide range of tastes and aromas from teas very close in taste to green tea to those very close to black tea.

Health Benefits

Oolong tea burns over 157% more fat than Green Tea – and therefore becoming the most popular teas designed to accelerate weigh loss.

Drinking two cups of Oolong tea every day not only helps shed stubborn pounds by boosting your metabolism, but also blocks the fattening effects of carbohydrates.

Wulong tea promotes beauty and health - Oolong tea contains a large quantity of polyphenol which:

• promotes strong, healthy teeth;

• improves cognitive functioning and mental well-being;

• preventing eczema, allergies;

• clarifies your skin, giving it a healthy, radiant glow and

• strengthens your immune system.