{"title":"Oolong Teas","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Tea That Walks Two Paths\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOolong is the bridge. Half-oxidized, it falls between the vegetal freshness of green tea and the malty depth of black. The result is a cup that opens with orchid and honeysuckle, then settles into toasted chestnut and brown sugar. In China, where it was born, oolong is the Sunday tea: slow-steeped, re-infused, savored over conversation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes oolong different is control. A tea master halts oxidation halfway through, locking in both the green leaf's brightness and the black leaf's complexity. The same leaves can be steeped four, five, six times, each infusion revealing a new layer. First steep: floral and light. Third steep: round and nutty. By the fifth, you are tasting the mineral backbone of the soil it grew in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOolong sits in the middle for caffeine, too: roughly 30 to 50 milligrams per cup, less jittery than black tea, more sustaining than green. In traditional Chinese medicine, oolong is the digestive tea, brewed strong after heavy meals to cut through oils and settle the stomach. That is not a medical claim, it is centuries of observation. Use boiling water (212°F) and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Save the leaves and steep again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOolong sits between green and black. Explore our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/green-teas\" title=\"Green Teas\"\u003eGreen Teas\u003c\/a\u003e for the lighter side, or our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/connoisseur-collection\" title=\"Connoisseur Collection\"\u003eConnoisseur Collection\u003c\/a\u003e for more rare leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"oolong","title":"Oolong","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe tea that sits between green and black.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTi Kuan Yin is a semi-oxidized oolong from Fujian Province, China. The leaf is 40-50% oxidized, which puts it halfway between the vegetal brightness of green tea and the malty body of black tea. The cup tastes like blooming orchids over toasted walnuts, with a buttery texture that lingers. The process is what makes it: the leaves are bruised in bamboo baskets to start oxidation at the edges, then fired to stop the reaction. The bruising is what releases the floral compounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy the leaves are twisted.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTi Kuan Yin is rolled into tight pellets during production. The rolling breaks down cell walls and compresses the leaf, which concentrates the aromatic oils. When you steep the leaf, it unfurls slowly, releasing flavor in stages. This is why oolong re-steeps so well. The first steep opens the leaf. The second and third steeps extract the deeper notes. By the fourth steep, the leaf is fully open and the cup is softer, sweeter, with almost no astringency.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Hui Gan phenomenon.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChinese tea tradition names the returning sweetness that shows up after you swallow. \u003cem\u003eHui Gan\u003c\/em\u003e translates as \"returning sweetness.\" High-quality oolongs produce it reliably. The sweetness sits at the back of the throat and builds with each sip. The effect is subtle, but once you notice it, you notice it every time. Floral, toasted, sweet on the return.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yerba Buena Tea Co.","offers":[{"title":"Tea Tin","offer_id":47256404459842,"sku":"SQ3117071","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tea Refill","offer_id":47256404492610,"sku":"SQ3117072","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/0862\/4962\/files\/oolong-loose-tea-ybtco.webp?v=1779851321"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/0862\/4962\/collections\/oolong-teas-1-ybtco.webp?v=1779853153","url":"https:\/\/ybtco.mom\/collections\/oolong-teas.oembed","provider":"Yerba Buena Tea Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}