Oolong Tea

One of the six categories of tea from the tea plant, no other type of tea offers more variety in flavour and complexity than oolong. Bridging the gap between green and black tea, highly skilled and carefully controlled processing allows a tea maker to create everything from buttery floral notes to tropical fruit, deep chocolate and roasted nuts from a single day’s harvest. Traditionally from China and Taiwan, but increasingly available from many other countries thanks to the creativity of artisan tea producers, oolong teas come in a variety of styles and offer a huge range of flavours. For more information on this fascinating tea category please read our magazine articles “A beginners guide to oolong tea“, “A guide to Gong Fu Cha” and “What is milky oolong / what is milk oolong”.

Unlike fully oxidised black tea and unoxidised green tea, oolong teas are all partially oxidised – ranging from about 10% to 80% – making them the most complex type of tea to produce. In effect, these teas build a bridge between green tea and black tea and cater for every possible taste.

Geo Shan (high mountain) tea is the term given to teas grown at altitudes above 1000 meters. Produced in small amounts, high mountain tea from Taiwan is especially popular amongst connoisseurs. We are particularly proud to have an excellent selection of Taiwanese high mountain oolong teas, the like of which it is hard to find outside of Taiwan.