In one legend it is believed that oolong (wu long) tea, was invented and received its name from a tea farmer named Wu Liang (perhaps later adopted to wu long). The story goes that Wu Liang was distracted by a deer after a long day of picking and tending to his tea.
Like in the "black serpent" legend, when Wu returned after forgetting about his tea, he found that his leaves had been oxidized by the sun. Instead of tossing them away, he brewed them and found that it gave a different, yet distinct and enjoyable taste.
Today facts tell us that oolong tea was invented some 400 years ago in the Wuyi mountains shortly after black tea was invented at the end of the Ming Dynasty.
In that time era, oolong was called Ming Bei Wulong, and was also called "rock tea" when first mentioned in the Chinese literature.
Throughout history, oolong tea made its way south to the Anxi area, then was cultivated in the Guangdong Province and Chazhou area, known today as "Phoenix Mountain".
It wasn't until around 1810 that oolong tea was first harvested in Taiwan which at the time was still part of China's largest tea producing Fujian Province.
Today, oolong tea history has made its long journey to the western world where it is not cultivated, yet is consumed, as more news about its weight loss benefits are published.
Some classy Chinese restaurants serve oolong tea as complement with dinner as this tea goes well with most Chinese dishes.
Oolong tea has found its way into my cup as well, and I enjoy it as much as the other tea types I have. Whenever I want something different in my cup, I reach for the oolong!
