Oolong tea processing really begins in the right environments where the tea is grown. Cool and foggy conditions along with sandy soil produce fine oolong leaves.
Once these happy leaves are plucked from the Camellia sinensis tea bush, they are thrown into baskets.
The purpose of this is to bruise the leaves so that they begin to oxidize. After that they are steamed or baked to prevent further oxidation, and depending on the level of oxidation, will determine the variety of oolong we get.
The more the leaves are oxidized, the closer to black tea the oolong will be. And of course lesser oxidation will result in an oolong with more green characteristics which tend to be more sweeter and less woody.
Detailed oolong tea processing steps:
Wilting: the beginning process in which the leaves are sun dried or air dried to remove moisture.
Yaoqing: next the leaves are bruised so their natural oils are released which starts the oxidation process.
Rouqing: the leaves are tumbled or rubbed to further complement oxidation since the Yaoqing stage only bruises the leaves' edges.
Shaqing: in this stage the leaves are either fired or steamed which stops the oxidation process.
After those important stages, the leaves will then be left out to dry, graded, sealed in air tight packages, and shipped.
