Processing
The browning of bruised tea leaves — the single most important variable defining tea type.
Oxidation is the same enzymatic reaction that turns a sliced apple brown. Cut it short and you have green tea (~0%), let it run and you have black tea (~100%); stop somewhere in between and you have an oolong. It's not 'fermentation' — that's a different process used in pu-erh.
Related terms
Microbial transformation of tea leaves over months or years — the secret of pu-erh and dark teas.
Heating leaves to halt oxidation — the defining moment of green tea processing.
Partially oxidised tea (10–80%) — the most diverse and most artisanal tea family.
From the Journal
Not green, not black — oolong is the in-between family that rewards craft. The science (and art) of partial oxidation, explained.
by Sameera
The Tea List dispatch
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