Oolong Tea
The Champagne of Tea
Black Dragon of the Wuyi Mountains
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Oolong Tea, aka Black Dragon in Chinese, is the Champagne of Tea. Semi-fermented, with an ancient lore befiting of fantasy novels. Gong Fu Cha anyone?
To know about Oolong tea, we must first introduce you to Wuyi Mountains. This mystical Chinese tea region is where immortals gather to sip tea in the local tea culture. Wuyi Mountains had a storied tea culture that dates back 2,000 years.
In wine-speak, Wuyi is the “burgundy of tea.” Not only is Wuyi Rock tea legendary, but there is also a striking similarity in how the monks started tea-making, just like the Cistercian monks originated wine-making in Burgundy, France.
In both places, the monks turned tea-making or wine-making from a way of life to a path of spiritual enlightenment.s
Origins of Oolong Tea
In the film TEA: The Drink That Changed The World, you will discover for yourself Oolong tea’s origin in China, which is invented during the Qing Dynasty by the Buddhist monks of Wuyi Shan.
The world’s most expensive tea is the varietal DA HONG PAO, the founding type of Oolong tea, grown in the Wuyi Mountains.
Oolong tea is so exquisite that the monks invented the tasting ritual called GONG FU CHA to properly taste this golden elixir.
Wuyi Shan is a double UNESCO Heritage Site
One of China’s finest and oldest tea-growing districts, Wuyi Shan boasts a tea culture that has flowed through the Stream of Nine Windings for more than 2,000 years. This rich cultural heritage earns Wuyi Shan a well-deserved spot as China’s fourth mixed UNESCO heritage site for both natural and cultural worlds.
Tea is Religion
Then the art of tea-making spread throughout the southern regions of China. As other districts adopted the drink, people infused tea with local customs. This is why the art of tea-drinking can vary from place to place to this day.
Starting around the 5th and 6th centuries, Chinese tea things sprung up as tea-drinking became more fashionable, including the famous Tang porcelain known as Yue Ware and celadon.d
GONG FU CHA, a five hundred-year-old tea tasting ritual, is invented to taste Oolong tea.
Discover more tea secrets
Fascinated with tea?
The Art of TEA Book Series
Tea books from the film TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Journey into the Wuyi Mountains through the eyes of Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, with art from the film. Go behind the scenes, learn the ancient art of tea tasting, and explore tea for health and wellness.