Tea of the day: oolong

Today I will be talking about my personal favorite kind of tea: oolong. I tried oolong for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love. But what's so great about it, really? Well, for starters let me talk about the number one reason I drink oolong daily...

The taste! It's very light and flowery with a tiny citrus endnote. Well, that's my take on it. It's reminiscent of a green tea kind of taste, but with a way more delicious after taste. I'm not a huge fan of green tea, actually. However oolong is made from the same plant as green tea and black tea, what's different is the processing.

Health benefits are a big reason some people drink tea, but there's a lot of research to still be done and let's face it-I'm no doctor. However there is one study I've found about oolong and it took place in Japan. The study showed that drinking oolong tea can help rid the body of inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema. Along with that study, I've found that drinking tea is good for you strictly because it helps with hydration. A lot of people don't drink enough water per day and tea is water treated with tea. So drink more tea and you will become more hydrated.

When it comes to oolong, less is more. This, unsteeped:

Becomes this, after steeping:

Steeping: oolong can be steeped more than once, so that can save you money. Just take the leaves out and let them sit on a plate or somewhere dry and use them again. Just know that if steeping a second time, it won't have as much caffeine as the first steeping. Also, it is noteworthy that when it comes to oolong teas, they get better as you steep them. So the second, third or fourth time you brew oolong, it will taste even better each time. When making oolong you shouldn't use water that has been boiled, but water that is just about to become boiled. So if you have a kettle, make sure it's hot but not entirely boiling. Sometimes I'll let it boil and then just let it cool for a few minutes. Then you can steep it from 3-10 minutes. If you're particular about the taste, try it every 30 seconds and stop steeping once you're satisfied with the taste!

Beauty: I love the shade of oolong tea and the beautiful leaves. The leaves look small and clustered before they come in contact with hot water, but it's fun to watch them grow in size as they steep. The leaves are considerably bigger than those of black tea, for example. A lot of times you'll see the leaves on a mini branch, even. See below, the beautiful coloring of oolong:

So why not give oolong a try? As soon as I did, I couldn't stop drinking it. It's not an unhealthy tea to drink! Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, sugar is never necessary in oolong. However, some people add sugar to all teas. Whatever floats your boat! Or should I say, floats your tea leaves! Oh wow, that was a bad joke.

Happy Friday,

Leah