EVERYTHING about Oolong Tea Processing (With 50+ Scientific Citations)

[@richleonard55]

Is this the best information video on KZbin? It's certainly the best I've seen!

[@alexanderdelaney3978]

What an amazing video! It's the best I've seen on tea processing and probably the only one that explains the science behind the art. I'm really looking forward to watching your other videos and checking out your web site. Thank you!!!

[@wumountaintea]

Hey Alexander, thank you so much for watching and leaving this great comment! (and for your equally awesome comment on the WMT website :) ) I'm very intrigued by your budding tea operation in California. I hope to see it one day and offer whatever help I can in your efforts to produce non-gag-inducing tea XD !! Let's keep in touch, and never hesitate to reach out with questions/comments/thoughts, etc. DM's on Instagram (@WuMountainTea) might be the most direct way to reach me, but I will always respond to comments here on YT or on the website. Thanks again for watching and commenting. Wishing you, your wife, and your colony of Taiwanese seedlings the best of fortune in the coming year. 元旦快乐 - Dylan

[@alexanderdelaney3978]

@@wumountaintea Thanks Dylan, and if you’re ever in California (near Santa Cruz) you’re most welcome to visit our tiny tea plot. I do have an update: Inspired by your video, a few days ago we threw caution to the wind and plucked just enough of our tea leaves (in winter!) to make four or five cups of tea just to see if there is any hope of making a non-toxic brew. We thought we’d try making Oolong with it, but the withering process went much slower than we expected. It was too cold (about 50 F) to be outside so we used a sunny room (about 72 F) for the withering, but even that ended up going overnight before we saw any wilt. We ended up making a slightly fermented green tea, with a kill-green in a wok in the morning, followed by five minutes of hand rolling and then wok drying. We let that sit overnight and made a cup of tea in the morning. To our delight, it tasted like tea - and it was actually good enough to finish the cup. I’m sure we’ll have lots of questions, but I also don’t want to bombard you with boring messages so I’ll try to restrain myself. If you ever want to see pictures of our tea plants, etc.., just let me know and I’ll gladly send you whatever you’re interested in seeing. Oh, and If you have any advice about how to select the best plants for propagation, of course we’d love to hear about that. There’s quite a lot of variation between the different plants, not only in their vigor but also in the leaves (shape, size and color). Is there is a general rule of thumb about what is preferable? BTW, I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to smart phones and am probably one of the few that has never used Instagram, but I might just have to try it now. Thanks again and happy New Year!

[@chadczternastek]

Dylan, first want to thank you. Your passion and knowledge of tea is phonemonal. I've been a tea lover my whole life. Only within the last 2 years I've ditched the tea bags. Only tea bag going on is if my roommate falls asleep drunk. .anyways, just today I made my first oolong tea. It was Big Red Robe. I didn't have a clue about the history, or anything before I drank it. I assumed it was an overpriced tea, not worthy of anything. Then I got a four tea sampler from somewhere and I made a cup. It was the absolute best thing that ever hit my taste buds. I've never tasted something that was just astounding. Now I did a lot of reading and seeing the wide variety of variables. Oh my god are there so many variables. Here is what is driving me nuts. I've seen so many explanation web pages, directions, and holy I don't know what to really do as some directions literally say to infuse tea for 20 seconds, then add this time for the next steep..now some say this, some say 5 minutes, add 30 seconds every steep for 2 steeps. I've seen some say less, and I don't know (all these directions are for the one tea, the Da Hong Pao, I'm hoping it's the Purebred Da Hong Pao...so that being said, why such a huge difference between all these directions, for the same tea strain. The one I got said to steep for five minutes (90°C) Then steep one to two more times. (1 minute add on for each steep.) Another place says, hit the leaves with boiling water and dump the water quick. Then throw in (95°C) water 20 seconds. !? Now why only 20 seconds and not longer. So I went and just got stuck in one huge Rabbit Hole. Just no one agrees on how long and how long each steep. My head is gonna explode. I realize how subjective tea is as far as what tastes good, smells good...ect. But like in science, chemistry, biology, things are objective, this is always gonna be this. Why is there not a more clear time and temp? I get different teas, different variables but I'm talking just one kind of tea, Big Red Robe, (Da Hong Pao) I understand if you can't get to my question, but reading and watching all that I did, I'm gonna likely go by your wisdom and experience rather than ruin a very expensive cup of tea. Also who has the best oolong Big Red Robe loose tea? One that is not brutal on the checkbook ..like I can literally drink this all day the rest of my life. No food, no nothing but this just blow you away taste. Hah😮 Lot of info in your uploads on this channel. I hope to see more.

[@wumountaintea]

Hi Chad, Thank you for the kind words and detailed and entertaining comment!! 😄🌱 I will do my best to help you make the most of your Da Hong Pao. First question: what tea infusion equipment do you have available to you? Gaiwan, teapot (what type and size of teapot), or anything else... this will determine how much leaf, what water temperature, and what infusion time will be best. Let's start there 🤙 Dylan

[@aticqua]

A box of tea from our Chinese business partners brought me here, and I would love to join the previous comments praising your video as it is truly awsome. I had no experience with oolong and I had not been drinking much tea, but I found it great and wanted to know a little backroud. Best video on the topic I found. Thank you.

[@deluxgaming6742]

It's so interesting to watch this as a Barista who's working in a roastery. There are so many similarities and I think those two industries can really learn from each other. I usually drink green tea but I really don't have the palette to distinguish a good from a bad except for my preference. ..

[@ChandniGohil-j2d]

I have been drinking varieties of oolong teas for such a long time and now I understand why it's so delicious. I couldn't stop watching this incredible video. Thank you very much for making such a informative video pure heartedly.😊

[@claudiogutierrez5425]

Woow! I´m impressed because your love for tea and dedication for making this video, so pro for being your first. Thank you for a magnificent tea master class. I´m just starting in this world. Greetings from Colombia.

[@wumountaintea]

Thank you so much Claudio! I'm very happy that you enjoyed the video and that the world of tea has gained another friendly character :) Don't hesitate to reach out with other thoughts or questions as you begin your journey with tea! Cheers from Guangzhou, - Dylan

[@fruitysalt]

This was a very helpful video, thank you. Words like bruising, oxidation or fermentation don't mean much to a novice like me without being shown visually. Your video shows a coherent visualisation of the entire production process. It also touches a little on how decisions translate into taste. Thanks!

[@abc_cba]

The level of knowledge I recieved from this video made me a graduate in tea, please provide me the certificate now. Best wishes from India 🇮🇳 Subscribed !

[@wumountaintea]

Dear x x, I hereby in this KZbin comment offer you an honorary doctorate degree in Oolongology (fantastic word). Congratulations on your achievement. Dearest, Dean Dylan of the Wu Mountain Academy of Oolongology

[@chrisobleness612]

One of the best tea process explanations I have ever seen! Thank you! Cannot wait for my oolong to arrive!

[@wumountaintea]

Awesome! I appreciate that! 🙏 I made it for tea heads that want zero details skipped 🤗🌱 What type of Oolong did you go with?! Dylan from Wu

[@cameronsmith137]

Thank you so much for making this video, Dylan!! I feel enlightened!! Your explanations behind the science of processing tea are eye opening, very educational, fun to listen to and said in down to earth type of way. I just can't wait to see your next video!! I just looooove the science explanations!!!

[@wumountaintea]

Cameron thanks for the awesome comment!! Really happy you enjoyed the video. I got a new 8 chapter 'Masterclass on Tea' course coming to youtube within the next 2-3 weeks, where we get into the science underlying all aspects of tea cultivation, connoisseurship, processing, and effects on health, so keep an eye out for that :) Cheers !

[@DNS-FRANK09]

Your videos have really helped me 😊 it's cool that you're fluent in Chinese

[@boiscontrebois-lefilm4541]

Dylan, your work and your experience are impressive. Very nice scientific synthesis! This is top level. I have a few questions, if you have time to answer them;) Anyway, keep going! 1 / I had read that a temperature between 30 and 35 ° C was required for the shai qing process / 曬 青? Is the enzymatic reaction possible at lower temperatures (with sunshine present), for example between 15-25 ° C? Otherwise what is the recommended humidity level? 2 / During all the oolong tea making process, does the size of the mesh of the bamboo tray have an influence on the result? (I have found that some trays have a very tight mesh, and others not, I imagine that the air can circulate more or less) How is this choice made? 3 / Is there a rest period between the last yao qing / 搖 青 and the sha qing process / 殺青? or is it immediately made after the last tossing? 4 / Is the drying / baking 焙乾 / 焙 火 done directly after the rolling process 揉捻 / (implied after the jie kuai / 解 块)?

[@wumountaintea]

Hey Bois (if I may call you that), Thank you for the encouraging comment and the thoughtful questions! It means a lot to me. I'll go through each one and give my best attempt at a thorough yet concise response. 1. Generally 30-35 degrees is an optimal temperature for enzymatic activity in tea leaves, however enzymatic activity is still relevant at temperatures of 15-25 degrees (and even lower), particularly if you have other enzymatic activators (like sunshine). So, it's not completely accurate to say that 30-35 degrees is required for Shai Qing 晒青, but rather that the activities of certain key enzymes work on a spectrum in reaction to temperature. Also, as you made a point to mention, humidity is relevant. For example, 25 degrees with high humidity may induce greater enzymatic activity that 30 degrees with no humidity. Another important consideration is genotype - imagine how a cultivar that evolved in Cambodia might respond to temperature differently than a cultivar that evolved in Hangzhou. Lastly, it's important to remember that enzymatic activities as they relate to flavor formation in tea leaves is still a complex and evolving area of research, since many enzymes in many different pathways all contribute to flavor formation processes in different ways, and they are affected differently by various environmental factors. As it stands today, the variable during production that is most connected with optimal production is whether or not the tea master can work with the conditions provided, since we rarely get the truly optimal weather conditions. It's usually ok if the enzymatic activity occurs a little slower or a little faster, as long as the tea master is aware of the speed of change and is able to make real-time decisions as to when to proceed to the next step. 看茶做茶, as they say. 2. Interesting point you make about the bamboo mesh - I just encountered that issue myself a few days ago. I was collecting leaf samples in the early morning and wanted to let the dew dry from the leaves before packaging them for transport. I chose the wider stitching over the tighter stitching for the air circulation issue you bring up. Typically, when water loss from tea leaves is a goal in the step (such as in withering or sun-drying) then the wider stitching is used, but in steps where the main focus is encouraging enzymatic activity (like bruising) then tighter stitching might be used. In the video I talk a lot about the importance of enzymatic activity during withering 晒青, but it's important to remember that the main objective in this step in actually promoting water loss from the leaves, and that the majority of enzymatic activity involved in flavor formation actually happens during bruising. So, your intuition was correct - wider stitching promotes more air circulation and that plays a role in production by speeding or slowing water loss depending on what is needed at the time. 3. Good question. Every yao qing 摇青 must be followed by a rest period - these are two sides of the same coin. Yao qing serves to activate/induce/trigger enzymatic activity, but the actual enzymatic 'work' is carried out during the rest time. When the leaves are resting it looks like little is happening, but this is actually when the enzymes are given the time and stability to produce their respective flavor compounds. In a sense, yao qing + rest can be thought of as a single action - shake and rest - trigger the action then let the action play out. Typically, following a rest, and at the tea master's discretion, the leaves are moved from resting to shaqing 杀青. 4. Ha, nice one with 解块, I skipped that in the video because I thought it would be getting too detailed. Yes, after 解块 the leaves are ready to go right into the oven - better aroma formation occurs when the substrates present in the juices brought to the leaf surface during rolling are allowed to directly react with each other under heat application, rather than oxidizing in open air and transforming into less reactive compounds. These were fantastic questions - you clearly know your stuff! Let's keep in touch and talk tea anytime :) Cheers, Dylan

[@vincento2925]

bossman, exciting deep dive for sure

[@wumountaintea]

my guy! thanks for watching - I'm glad you liked it 🌱🍵🤘

[@LP-jz6hp]

So wonderful, very clear, detailed information, even as Chinese, I didn’t know how the tea is made, how to differentiate the tea type, I learned a lot from your video, I can feel your love to Chinese culture, it makes me very proud of being Chinese. Hope you enjoy your stay there. thank you very much from Portland, Oregon!😊

[@paulnewman4778]

Wow! What a great video! Awesome explanation of the whole process. It makes me wonder how people back in the days figured out how to process the leaves to produce the right aroma. They didn't have all the knowledge we have now. Was it trial and error?

[@robinschmahl1327]

Amazing thank you so much! That was a super interesting deep dive while sitting here and drinking my oolong tea :) cheers!

[@APerchOfPillows]

Thank you for the quality, you’ve helped me understand!

[@theresayiu6588]

Thanks

[@martinappletree]

Awesome, Dylan, beautiful video, learning so much! Two questions for you that have more to do with plants than with tea-making: 1) I get that terpenoids are produced in response to stress, but to what end? That is, does production of terpenoids aid in some way in the protection of the plant? 2) It seems that, for the production of terpenoids, the whole plant doesn't have to be structurally sound - that a plucked leaf alone can produce hormones and terpenoids on its own. Is this so? Keep up the amazing work! Marty

[@wumountaintea]

Hey Marty, thanks for watching! These are great questions - let me do my best to answer each one. 1. Terpenoids function to protect the plant in times of stress. Under conditions of biotic stress (i.e. insect attack) terpenoids are known for their airborne signaling function, which can repel insect pests directly (like a bug repellent - we actually modeled our synthetic bug repellent formulas after natural plant terpenoid responses to insect attack), and the emission of specific terpenoids that can attract predator insects (wasps, predatory spiders, etc.) that come prey on the insect pests causing the biotic stress, which is pretty incredible. In terms of abiotic stress, things are a bit more complicated than repelling bad bugs and attracting good bugs. With abiotic stress, terpenoids have generally been found to function as signaling molecules that can regulate gene expression in the cell. For example, UV light stress may cause terpenoids to rise, which can activate the production of more UV photoreceptors, which can help capture the extra light and use it for energy. Another stress-reduction mechanism is that terpenoids may function in similar ways to antioxidants, helping to stabilize plant cell oxidative status under conditions of oxidative stress. This is big, because at the end of the day, most forms of abiotic stress converge on the common mechanism of oxidative stress to inflict physical damage on the plant cell apparatus. But, it's important to note that this is an area of ongoing active research. When terpenoids are created, which ones are created, what are their functions under different conditions of plant stress - these are very intricate topics that scientists have only recently developed the adequate tools to research in detail. So it will be interesting to watch this field evolve over the coming years. 2. Yes, that is exactly right. It's incredible to think about, but any living cell (plant, animal, or bacteria, etc.) if supplied with sufficient nutrients and the right environmental conditions, can survive completely removed from the rest of the organism. So if you pluck a leaf from a tea tree, the leaf will eventually die from lack of water and nutrients, but it will take quite a while before that happens. The cells will continue "doing life" (i.e. making proteins, shuttling cellular products back and forth) until it's too deficient in nutrients and water to physically carry out those processes. But, plants are very hearty creatures, and they keep large stock piles of the essentials for life within their cell walls. In the video I mention the vacuole as the plant cell "storage unit." The illustration is not really drawn to proportion, but in real life that vacuole is by far the largest organelle in the cell - ready to supply the necessary supplies during times of shortage. So, after the tea leaves are plucked, it is business as usual for quite a while, albeit lots of stress signaling in the cell. This is critical, because we are relying on these processes of life to create the flavor that we want in the leaves. I hope that answered your questions, and let me know if anything else comes to mind! Thanks for the encouraging words Marty. Plenty more content on the way :) Dylan

[@martinappletree]

@@wumountaintea , Thank you, that clarifies things. Fascinating stuff! Looking forward to more! May you be safe and well, Dylan . . .

[@SweSuf]

Excellent presentation! Oolong is (presently) my favourite tea.

[@storlok1922]

Great video my friend, thank you! ❤

[@oliviamedina9628]

great video and explanation , thank you!!

[@wumountaintea]

you're welcome! glad you liked it :)

[@jeanettegirosky7735]

Awesome video. I have taken Organic Chemistry.....and I'm a biomajor....so I have actually been trying to learn how all this comes into play with tea. LOVE that you cited your references. Good job!

[@wumountaintea]

YAY! Thank you 😊 Citing everything took SO long, but I knew a small subset of people would really appreciate it 😄🌱 With recent videos I have actually just been showing the article abstract on screen and highlighting the findings in there that I'm reporting on, which I feel like is a better way to do it (although equally time consuming lol). Chapter 6 of the Masterclass is on Tea & Health and it's definitely the most science-dense Chapter, so I think you might appreciate that 😊 🍵

[@cyberiansailor9741]

Thank you so much for all the information on Oolong! With proper knowledge things get to 10times more enjoyable! I just have a question in regards to the plucking: When is the plucking for Oolong, or rather for Oolong typically done? And would there be a difference in plucking right in the morning or further along into the day? Because somewhere I have read that plants also have nighttime mode that chemically differs from daytime mode in order to survive without photosynthesis. But I must imagine being put in the open during the day during south Chinese summer must be very hot. I barely could function in Taipei in May...

[@jaredamory4984]

Incredible & insightful. I definitely have a deeper appreciation for tea drinking now

[@wumountaintea]

That's great to hear! It's a beautiful thing to appreciate the talent and hard work of other people.

[@archibald6360]

Thank you for sharing the Knowledge. That interview was brilliant - we are so previleged to be able to learn from the real farmers, revealing the hard work behind each step

[@1Lightdancer]

Your work and offerings are indeed a Labor of love! 🙏

[@rinskegemen3678]

Very interesting! Looking forward to your next video. 🙏

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks Rinske, More on the way :)

[@tewtravelers9586]

Incredible breakdown of the entire process. I'll enjoy every cup with a new sense of respect from now on.

[@jonophant]

Thank you for your videos. I greatly enjoyed them

[@mattclinton5351]

Amazing work Dylan! I’ll never look at a cup of tea the same way!

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks Matt! Glad to hear it :)

[@paulphelps7809]

I really thank you for this. Oolong is my favorite flavor and now I know why. And all this is so interesting.!

[@tonymagana5015]

I love how much detail and insight you have included in this video; I would love to see how some of these processes can be done on a small individual scale so I could make oolong at home!

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks Tony!! Sure, thanks for the suggestion - I'll try to make a "smallscale Oolong batch" video soon :)

[@achukmvlid.johnson9588]

Awesome

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks! :)

[@sumanngon]

What are the differences between two varieties of oolong teas golden and red? Are the golden variety yellow tea as you mentioned in your earlier videos? Subscribed your channel...whiskey drinker turning into a tea fan at 55 year age! 😊 Your channel is the holy grail of Tea connoisseurs

[@gordonscottrc2561]

great detailed explanation.. Thank You

[@wumountaintea]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching 😊🙏🍵🌱

[@g29pianist]

THIS IS AMAZING!!!!

[@TheloniousCube]

Really great work - informative and entertaining!

[@AviFagan]

This is awesome!

[@IAMZERG]

Very interesting look at the process... love me some huang jin gui tieguanyin but had no idea that the picking of older leaves affected the bruising process. Makes me curious if they could do wilting in a temperature/humidity controlled environment with solar LED's...

[@wannatalkscience4136]

Stupendous!!!

[@karl0212]

I really enjoy your content. Do you also upload videos on Chinese social media?

[@igenell7677]

I appreciate the information in your video so much, do you have any plan on topic how kettle affect the tea taste? With my experience, tesubin, silver or clay kettle have different effect on tase. However, there are no scientific citation to prove this topic.

[@Outdoorous]

Very cool!

[@UnicornzAndLolipopz]

If you bake the tea for longer than the tea needs to be baked for, it becomes Toolong Tea!

[@timotheos4327]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@DNS-FRANK09]

I wonder if this process works also for hemp leaves

[@claudiogutierrez5425]

Hello Dylan. I would like to ask you how is made the hand granular shaping of oolong tea? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@wumountaintea]

Hey Claudio, thanks for the question. The process is very unique and a little difficult to explain with words, but I will try my best. Basically the tea leaves (maybe 1 or 2 kg) are placed into a cloth, and rolled into a ball the size of a basketball. It's a dense little basketball-sized sack of tea leaves. Then, this ball is rolled in a circle direction with high pressure added for a minute or two. Then the cloth is opened, the leaves are poured out, then they go back into another cloth and the same process is repeated. By the 7th or 8th repetition, all the leaves have formed those tight kernel shapes. I will certainly make a video about this in the future, I still have some footage from the last time I did it. Hope this helped, Best, Dylan

[@claudiogutierrez5425]

@@wumountaintea Thank you so much, Dylan. You're a master.

[@maximepere9094]

Awesome work and explanations! Will you make other videos about all the "main types" of tea?

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks Max! Yes, new video on the major tea types is coming out in 2-3 weeks, I'll text you when it does ;)

[@neversour]

You should consider a lavalier microphone for when you’re talking so you don’t hear the background noise as loud. That bug or high pitched noise was distracting from the video. Love the content.

[@wumountaintea]

Thanks for the tip! Yep i did buy a lav mic and the new AI audio correction tool from adobe has been a lifesaver, so no more bad audio!😂🤦 thanks for sticking through the content anyway 🍵🫶🌱

[@saigonteahouse]

Kill blue is a more accurate than kill green. You want to reduce the water content inside the leaves, it means you kill the blue (water).

[@douglascodes]

Me sitting here drinking some really expensive oolong.... I wonder how its produced. Question asked and answered

[@bricktea3645]

Now what about charcoal roasted oolong?

[@alberthomann6455]

I need help identifying a tea I was gifted but can't find any information on. It is to date the best tea I have ever tasted. The container has this written on it. Mingfeng ziranxinxiang Pinyinwujiaxiangshoujizhi

[@SilviaBattistini]

I love oolong teas, ducksh*t is the best - and this video is amazing 😯😃😃👏👏👏

[@wumountaintea]

Ducksh*t is my fav oolong too 😋🦆 glad you liked the vid! thanks for watching 🤗🌱🫶

[@rabbitazteca23]

oolong is difficult to make because it is between black and green tea and it is difficult to keep it from becoming one or the other.

[@Fishdogpigsquirrel]

So all tea production is just torturing camellia sinesis in different and horrific ways? Damn.