I think this is one of those questions that all tea newbies ask themselves, “What is Oolong, is it a black or green?” Well besides being my very favorite option it is a unique tea that has a wonderful smooth taste. Oolong tea is a product from the leaves, buds, and stems of the Camellia sinesis plant. The very same plant that is used to make black and green tea. Despite coming from the same plant, black, green, and oolong teas vary widely in taste and color. This is due to different growing, harvesting, and processing methods.
Oolong tea sits right in the middle of the oxidation process. While Oolong’s themselves have a range of oxidation which can result in a dark oolong to a lighter oolong. Black is fully oxidized and green tea and matcha are not oxidized, the Oolong is right in the middle. The partial oxidized leaves result in a robust flavor of black tea with the herbal, fruity notes of green tea.