Oolong, China's claim to tea fame

TAIPEI (JP): Oolong (also spelled wulong, which literally means "black dragon"), probably China's and Taiwan's finest tea, is a semifermented tea primarily produced in the home countries.

Having its origin in mainland China's Fukien province, the tea has been exported from there since the 18th century.

Now the variety believed to have high medicinal value is being grown in other parts of the world. Teh Enam Tiga of Indonesia, for example, cultivates it in Bogor, some 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.

The leaves are plucked at the peak stage of growth and immediately processed.

The fresh leaves from the farm are wilted in the sun to reduce the water content and to soften them. Then they are shaken in bamboo baskets, or pressed in tanks if production is done mechanically, to lightly bruise their edges.

The leaves are then spread out to dry until they turn coppery in color. The fermentation or oxidation stops after about a two- hour pan-firing.

Oolong's typical characteristic is that it is a whole-leaf tea; the leaves are not broken by the rolling process. When the roll is soaked in hot water, you can unfold them intact.

Taiwanese Oolong's water content is the lowest because the leaves undergo the longest period of fermentation, 60 percent to 70 percent, and can be stored longer.

The fermentation process makes the Formosa oolong a darker liquid than the Chinese oolong, putting it in a category "between the unfermented green teas and the fully fermented black teas".

Oolong tea has several varieties. The most common is the Four- season oolong, which is clear in color and has a soothing aftertaste. You Liang oolong, which is best produced during a slow growth period, is plucked only for the top two leaves and bud that give a clear golden color. Kao Xan oolong comes from the Allisan mountain and is categorized as the finest quality. (pan)