Complemedis has repeatedly visited the fields and processing plants for oolong tea in Taiwan. We maintain close contact with a family business where the cultivation and processing of the tea is certified organic. The tea leaves are picked by hand, followed by gentle processing.
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Oolong tea is somewhere between green tea and black tea. While green tea does not undergo oxidation and black tea is oxidised for a long time, i.e. completely, oolong tea is somewhere in between, either slightly and then close to green tea in terms of flavour or exposed to this process for longer and then closer to black tea. At the beginning of every tea processing, whether it is green tea, oolong tea or black tea, the leaves wither. This causes the harvested product to lose some of its moisture.
When tea is harvested, the leaves are broken and the plant sap or its enzymes react with the oxygen in the air, which is called oxidising. If the tea leaves are rolled, further fractures occur and, depending on the intensity and duration of the rolling, the oxidation is stronger. In the past (and in many places still today) this process was referred to as fermentation, but this term is used incorrectly here, because fermentation can only be used when microorganisms (bacteria, yeast...) are used, for example in the production of yoghurt, sourdough bread, sauerkraut or kimchi. This is not the case in the production of tea, as there are no microorganisms involved. One exception is pu-erh tea, which traditionally was not subjected to fermentation either, but today is usually processed with the help of certain moulds (Penicillium, Aspergillus) or yeasts, which gives it its special flavour, a strangely pleasant musty taste.
As the tea leaves are always broken when they are harvested, oxidation starts immediately when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. However, this is quickly stopped for green tea by briefly treating the harvested product with heat (dry or wet), which destroys the enzymes that start the oxidation process.
Camellia sinensis is the botanical name of the tea bush, but just as there are several hundred varieties of tomatoes, apples or potatoes with variety-specific characteristics (taste, consistency, colour) and not every variety is suitable for every purpose, there are also many different varieties of tea and they are used for white or yellow tea, green tea, oolong tea or black tea. In China, by the way, black tea is called Hong Cha (red tea). The qingxin wulong 青心乌龙 variety is used for our Dong Ding oolong tea.
Polyphenols from the flavonoid group, such as catechins (antioxidants with a tart, astringent flavour), begin to break down into theaflavins and thearubigin (sweet and digestible in taste). Catechins are building blocks for proanthocyanidins, a series of natural tannins. Theaflavins are responsible for the darker colour of oolong tea compared to the lighter colour of green tea. They lower blood cholesterol levels and are considered to be beneficial to health. Thearubigin is reddish in colour and, apart from its health benefits, is mainly responsible for the stains that occur when spilt on cloth. Theasinensins are other components in oolong tea and are also produced by the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. Caffeine (identical to theine) is of course also contained in tea, a (purine) alkaloid from the xanthine group.
Die sechs Verarbeitungsarten von Camellia sinensis zu weissem, gelben, grünen, Oolong und schwarzem Tee, und Camellia sinensis var. assamica zu Pu-Erh-Tee.
Wuyi Berge in der Provinz Fujian in China (Bild: Wikipedia)
In 1855, Lin Fengchi 林鳳池 from the village of Lugu in the Nantou district of Taiwan intended to take the civil service examination at the imperial court in China, but had too little money to pay for the long journey and the examination fees. The whole village therefore collected for him and put the money together. Lin Fengchi passed the exam. On his journey home, he passed through Fujian Province and in its far north-west he passed the Wuyi Mountains, where he came across tea cultivation. He bought 36 tea bushes and brought them as a gift to his patrons in his home village on Taiwan. 12 bushes flourished and from then on formed the basis for the production of Dong Ding Oolong tea in Taiwan.
Our Dong Ding oolong tea is a tea that has undergone medium oxidation and the spring and autumn harvests have been blended in order to preserve the full aroma and flavour of both harvests. Harvesting is done by hand. The tea leaves are then withered in the air and oxidised by mixing and turning them flat on wide wooden grids by hand. The leaves are then rolled in a special device. This takes place around 12 hours after harvesting, sometimes in the middle of the night. The rolling and drying process takes several cycles, during which the tea leaves are wrapped in large, tightly packed cloths. Drying at a high temperature stops the enzymes that cause oxidation and thus stabilises the tea flavours. The final drying serves to remove residual moisture and undesirable odours and to caramelise the preferred aromas in a controlled roasting process.
The infusion is golden yellow in colour with an intense aroma and a full-bodied, slightly sweet taste with strong fruity notes and a long-lasting aftertaste. The pleasant sensory stimuli develop according to the temperature and duration of the infusion and continue to develop favourably during the second and third infusion to create a feast for the palate and a lasting Aaahhh, Ooohhh and Mmmhhh experience!
Teepflückerinnen
Our Dong Ding Oolong tea is produced by the fifth generation of the Xie family and has been certified organic by the Taiwanese organisation MOA International Foundation of Natural Ecology for several years. MOA, for its part, is recognised and monitored by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement), the global umbrella organisation for organic certification.
Dong Ding Oolong-Tee
Teepflückerinnen werden per Kilo gepflückte Ware entlöhnt
Dong Ding Oolong tea grows in Taiwan at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level in an area where warming hours of sunshine alternate with misty, humid periods, giving the tea bushes a unique bouquet of interesting aromas and flavours, which the Xie family, with generations of experience, knows how to skilfully enhance during processing.
Teepflücken ist harte Arbeit
Tea culture may be centuries old and traditional planting, harvesting and processing methods may still be used in the same way today, but that is no obstacle to interesting new developments.
Cui Yu Oolong-Tee
Welken lassen ist der nächste Schritt in der Produktion.
The cultivation of Cui Yu Oolong tea was developed in Taiwan in the 1970s and 1980s. This is a cross between the varieties 'Hardy Red Heart' and 'Tainan No.8', which, after years of selection and breeding, Mr Wu Chentuo, director of the Taiwan Tea Improvement Farm, submitted to the Taiwanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for testing and for which state approval was granted in 1981 and which has been known as Taiwan Jade Tea ever since. In terms of tradition, it can ultimately be traced back to the tea tradition of Fujian Province in Mainland China. This type of tea is grown at lower altitudes and its popularity has since experienced an incredible boom. The Cui Yu tea variety even has to be grown at lower altitudes, as it develops leathery leaves with less favourable aromas at higher altitudes.
Die welken Teeblätter beginnen zu oxidieren.
Cui Yu Oolong tea is one of the most popular tea varieties in Taiwan today. It stands out with its special floral fragrance and intensely sweet flavour. Our product comes from the Mingjian region in the Taiwanese district of Nantou at the southern end of the Bagua Plateau and is also hand-picked and certified organic in Taiwan.
Beim Trocknen wird der Oxidationsprozess gestoppt.
The characteristics of Cui Yu oolong tea (Cui Yu means jade green) are its light orange-yellow colour, its wild floral aroma, which is slightly reminiscent of ginger, and its distinct taste that sticks in the throat. Some experts recognise not only ginger, but also lilac, hyacinth, lilies and other flowers in this tea. Cui Yu Oolong tea is also rolled into sand-coloured green balls. Young leaves and twigs are used.
Rollen der Teebläter ist Chefsache.
Die Endprodukte werden miteinander verglichen und bewertet.
Es wird degustiert...
... und verglichen.
Camellia sinensis mit Insektenfrassspuren, die erwünscht sind, weil sie helfen, das Aroma zu entwickeln. Solcherart hergestellter Tee ist in der Regel teurer als andere Produkte.
Tea preparation:
Simply putting a few leaves of our Cui Yu or Dong Ding tea into a cup and pouring hot water over it can be done, but it risks not releasing the full flavour and the enjoyment will not be optimal. There are different ways of preparing tea to maximise the enjoyment experience. Warm a teapot well with hot water beforehand, empty the water out again and then pour the tea leaves into the jug, shake and smell can trigger a heavenly sensation. Then make a first infusion with hot water of 65°, 70°, 85° to 95° depending on your taste, infuse for a few minutes (2-3-5) and pour into the (pre-heated?) cup, possibly empty back into the jug and pour again? Clay jug? Thin or thick-walled jug? Iron pot? Cups tiny or larger? Thin-walled porcelain or even lacquered cups? Discard the first short infusion after a few seconds (remove the fire from roasted oolong teas!) and pour in more hot water? Second, third infusion when? A classic tea ceremony? What quantity of tea leaves? Everything is a matter of taste, everything can be tried. How to store tea leaves once the pack has been opened? Some tea shops even keep sensitive tea in the fridge and there is only one packet on the shelf at a time. There are dozens of instructions on YouTube.
While green tea cools and black tea warms, oolong tea is somewhere in between and is suitable as a drink in practically all seasons and in all situations.
Tea in Switzerland?
At the Casa del Te www.casa-del-te.ch on Monte Verità, you can try and buy many different types of tea from Asia (India, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Japan) and learn all sorts of interesting facts from the owners. The Casa del Te is mainly stocked with tea products by Länggass-Tee in Bern.
A small tea plantation is cultivated in front of the Casa.
Der Teestrauch wächst auch in der Schweiz: Monte Verità in Ascona
Die kleine Teeplantage am Monte Verità liefert jährlich circa sechs Kilo konsumbereiten Tee, der den Gönnern des ‘Vereins zur Förderung der Teekultur Monte Verità, 3012 Bern vorbehalten ist.
Der japanische Zen-Garten auf dem Monte Verità.
The Casa del Te of Monte Verità is a member of 'The Tea Grown in Europe Association ' www.tea-grown-in-europe.eu.
Cui Yu Oolong tea and Dong Ding Oolong tea are available in our shop. Thanks to direct imports, we are able to offer both teas at a large discount compared to well-known Swiss tea shops. As a souvenir and gift for friends or to treat yourself:
The Complemedis team wishes you an atmospheric tea experience!
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