All About Wu Long Tea

Do you want to know if Wu Long Tea is same as Oolong Tea ? Do those self claimed Slimming Wu Long Tea really helps in Slimming ? What are the health benefits of Wu Logn Tea ? Visit my Blog to find out the answer.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Wuyi Tea - Latest Sliming Tea after Wulong Tea ?

I just received an comment from a nice blogger by the name of Elise who reminded me that I have not written anything here for nearly one year ....mmmm.......

That's really wakes me up from my busy work schedule to drop in to say something. Really glad there are people that are still interested in my blog topics.

Well, from what i have noticed from internet, it seems that the wulong tea craze has migrate into wuyi tea craze :)

So what's the difference wulong tea and wuyi tea ?

In general, Wuyi tea is still a type of wulong tea but the tea plants are grown on top of the Mount Wuyi in China. There are various grades of wuyi tea depending on the location of the tea plants like foot of the mountain, mid mountain range or along the cliff. Common wuyi tea is the wuyi cliff tea (found along the cliff of Mount wuyi)

For more details, can drop by here to read more about the tea. http://www.naturaworks.com/STSoscommerce/wu-yi-cliff-tea-wu-long-tea-p-70.html

Well, the million dollar question : Whether this wuyi tea helps in sliming ?

Well, as wuyi tea is still under the wulong tea category, all effects/properties should be the same for both. So there is no definite answer until you give it a try. But do remember not to overpay those online tea merchants that only sells wuyi tea claiming there are the only one and if i am not wrong, there are even vendors tryign to trademark that term as their own in US. You can easily get wuyi tea from your local chinese teashop at much reduced price and maybe get to sample it before any purchases to see if you like it or not.

Ok..will write more if got time and if anyone is interested.










Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Drinking Tea & Slimming Research Article.

Drinking Tea & Slimming Research Article.

Found this from internet while surfing around

See the details here :

Research Article Link

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Why is Tea So Good For Us ?

Why is Tea So Good For Us ?

Want to know the the relationship between tea and Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, Caffeine ?

Does Catechins in tea helps to reduce body fat ?

Do all teas offer the same benefits ?

Does milk in tea affect the benefits ?

What's inside Tea ?

According to the feature article from TEA&COFFEE ASIA, the good news about tea's health benefits is beginning to push up sales. But what is it in tea that makes it such a potent brew? The writer wrote a good well researched summary of "Why is Tea So Good For Us ?"

To find out the answers to the above questions and many more, please visit Why is Tea So Good For Us ? - Teacoffeeasia.com


Friday, August 18, 2006

Original Wu Long Tea ! You mean the rest are Fake ?

Original Wu Long Tea ! You mean the rest are Fake ?


I believe some of you have come across some online Wu Long Tea merchants claiming only their Wu Long Tea is the only original. I nearly fell off my chair the first time i see it ! How can someone claim to own the original Wu Long Tea when in fact Wu Long Tea is just a name for a type of Chinese Tea Category Classification similar to Green Tea, White Tea, Black Tea etc ! As long as the processing method is the same and the fermentation level is 40%-50%, that's a Wu Long Tea already. No one owns the Real Wu Long Tea because they are all real unless they are in fact a Green Tea, White Tea or Yellow Tea etc. Do read up more on what Wu Long Tea is about and do not 100% trust what you see on the online tea merchant site. Verify the facts with other Tea sites.

How to Choose a Good Wu Long Tea ?

How to Choose a Good Wu Long Tea ?

Before you made any purchases of Wu Long Tea, you need to find out the following from your suppliers:

1) The Type/Grade of Wu Long Tea

Wu Long Tea is just a name for a type of Chinese Tea Category Classification similar to Green Tea, White Tea, Black Tea etc. For Wu Long Tea, its fermentation is around 40%-50% compared to the 0%-10% of green tea and 10%-20% of white tea. Within Wu Long Tea category itself, there are various grades depending of the source,location and harvest season of the tea which i will cover in the next section below. Common type of Wu Long Tea found are the Ti Kuan Yin (Tie Guan Yin) which is the best grade of Wu Long Tea, Dong Ding Wu Long (Tong Ting Wu Long) from Taiwan (commonly known as Formosa Tea) and Wuyi Cliff Tea (Wuyi Rock Tea) from the Wuyi Mountain in China. Those Wu Long Tea outside these grades are those of normal quality and are only known as Wu Long Tea just because they undergo the same processing method (same fermentation level). So be careful which type of Wu Long Tea is the one you actually buying.

2) Source, location and harvest season of the tea

Wu Long Tea is mostly found in Fujian,China and Taiwan (Formosa). As there are many tea farms in those area, the quality of land, altitude (height of tea farm in the mountain) and harvest seasons will affect the quality and taste of the Wu Long Tea. Personally, my favorite is Ti kuan Yin, as i love its smooth after taste effects, followed by Wuyi Cliff Tea and Dong Ding Wu Long. It is difficult for me to describe the taste for each type of Wu Long Tea for you and the best way to choose it, is by trying it out yourself and see if you love its taste. Tea is not medicine. One should appreciate it and drink it as a form of lifestyle and enjoy the process of drinking it.

3) Is there any proof that the tea's pesticide content is within allowable level ?

One of the most common problem in Wu Long Tea is the high pesticides content especially from China. Locally in Singapore, our government is very strict with tea merchants importing tea. Every batch of tea imported must be lab tested for pesticides content. Any batch that failed the lab test will be destroyed. Therefore, i am quite confident of the tea i obtain locally. For US , i believe as long your FDA approved the product for sale in US, it should be all right. Try not to purchase directly from China. I have yet to find any online tea merchant displaying any lab test report for their tea. You might be interested to ask them to email one to you if available.

How to Prepare a Cold Wu Long Tea ?

How to Prepare a Cold Wu Long Tea ?

Add 1-2 teaspoons of loose Wu Long Tea to your teapot or cup.

Add about 250-300ml (8.4-10.1 ounce) boiling water at 100 °C (212 °F) to the pot.

Let the tea leaves seep in the teapot/cup for 3-5 minutes depending on how much concentration you like your tea to be.

Add Ice to cool the tea down or put in the fridge to cool it.

Once it is chilled, the Wu Long Tea is ready to be served. (Simple ?)

Correct Method to brew Good Wu Long Tea ?

Correct Method to brew Good Wu Long Tea ?

Add 1-2 teaspoons of loose Wu Long Tea to your teapot or cup.


Add about 250-300ml (8.4-10.1 ounce) boiling water at 100 °C (212 °F) to the pot.

Let the tea leaves seep in the teapot/cup for 3-5 minutes depending on how much concentration you like your tea to be.

The Wu Long Tea is ready to be served. (Simple ?)

After finishing the Tea, you can still add more boiling water to the teapot to brew the 2nd time. (Allow longer seeping time of additional 1 minute)

Usually you can consume up to 3-4 times of that pot of Wu Long Tea until there is no longer any tea taste in the liquid.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Do Slimming Wu Long Tea Really Work

Do Slimming Wu Long Tea Really Work ?

Various Research has been conducted in both China and Japan with regards to the effectiveness of using Wu Long Tea to control Obesity.

What i found from the internet :

From www.oolongtea.org, it states that the presence of Polyphenol in Wu Long Tea is effective in controlling obesity by activating the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving triglyceride (sugar and fat are synthesized into triglyceride in the liver and the small intestine when we consume food). From its clinical tests, it was confirmed that the continuous intake of Wu Long Tea promotes the function of fat metabolism and contributes to controlling obesity.

From DRAGONWATER TEA BLOG, according to a research conducted by the Japanese medical field, it was concluded that the level of polymerized poly-phenols was found to be higher in Wu Long tea when compared to green tea and that is loosely associated with the weight loss results found by the researchers. Wu Long Tea appeared to increase energy expenditure by 10%, Green Tea by 4% while water 0%. This means that you burn more fat when you drink Wu Long or Green tea after a meal. See reference for more details :

"Oolong tea increases energy metabolism in Japanese females", The Journal of Investigative Medicine, p170, Tatsushi Komatsu, Masayo Nakamori, Keiko Komatsu, Kazuaki Hosoda, Mariko Okamura, Kenji Toyama, Yoshiyuki Ishikura, Tohru Sakai, Daisuke Kunii and Shigeru Yamamoto

From my own personal experience as well as from friends drinking Wu Long Tea, I found that some friends were able to achieve weight control through regular drinking of Wu Long Tea especially after heavy meals. But there are also others that have no effects on them. For myself, I am not fat and i love to drink Wu Long Tea. I am not getting any fatter too with my usual diet of oily stuff and fast food.

So, my conclusion is that Wu Long Tea may helps some people in achieving weight control. But it will depend on other factors too. There is NO 100% guarantees. If you find those merchant trying to sell you Wu Long Tea with 100% guarantee. Dump them. There is no truth in it. To know the answer, you got to buy one yourself to try it yourself. But remember to buy those without any additional additives other than natural Wu Long Tea leaves. So Slimming tea has extra chemicals or additives that are known to cause some side effects. So Remember to buy with care. I usually shop for my tea online at only NaturaWorks.com (a Singapore firm that is known for their quality tea) and TeafromTaiwan.com (Famous for their Taiwan Tea)
Anyway there is no harm in trying Wu Long Tea (Just be careful whom you buy from) as it is after all a healthy drink with a long history in China. I just love it.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Is Wu Long Tea the Same as Oolong Tea ?

Is Wu Long Tea the Same as Oolong Tea ?

Yes.

The term Wu Long is actually the Han Yu Pin Yin term for Oolong (烏龍) in Chinese. The actual Han Yu Pin Yin term should be wū lóng with the symbols indicating how to pronounce the term correctly in Chinese. Han Yu Pin Yin terms are commonly used in countries to teach Chinese like Singapore, Malaysia, China and Taiwan.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Wu Long Tea - The Basic




Wu Long Tea - The Basic

Wu Long Tea is a very common Traditional Chinese Tea. Its tea leaves are from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis which is found in over 30 countries around the world. Depending on the fermentation/oxidation process, tea are classified in the following categories : green, white, yellow, wu long, dark and black. Green Tea are not oxidized at all while Black Tea undergo several hours of oxidation.

As you can see, Wu Long Tea lies somewhere in the middle of Green and Black Tea. The fermentation/oxidation level is about 50%. Therefore, the color of Wu Long Tea is somewhat black and a bit Green.


Wu Long Tea is gently rolled after picking allowing the essential oils to react with the air and slowly oxidize. This process turns the leaf darker with time and produces its distinctive fragrances. When the leaf has reached the desired oxidation the leaf is heated, in a process called "panning", to stop the process. It is then rolled to form the tea into its final shape. As Wu Long tea can be heavily oxidized or lightly oxidized, its flavor will vary from quite green to near-black. This tea is handcrafted, undergoing a labor-intensive process. The tea-maker must carefully balance many elements in the critical few hours after the leaf is picked including weather conditions, quality of the leaf, and the time the leaf oxidizes.

Types of Wu Long Tea

The famous Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess Tea or Ti Kuan Yin) belongs to this category of the tea family whereby it is commonly known as the best Wu Long Tea . Its golden yellow brew is smooth, clear and fragrant. It carries a refreshing and fruity aroma as well as the much sought-after after taste. In China, different villages usually hold annual tea competitions to see who can come up with the best Tie Guan Yin. The champions is known as "Tea King" and is said to worth equivalent to gold in terms of weight.

Other common Wu Long Tea are the Wuyi Cliff Tea and Dong Ding Wu Long Tea.

Wuyi Cliff Tea is made from tea plants grown in Wuyi Mountain, in the region of Fujian, China . The average altitude of Wu Yi Mountain is about 650 meters. The Wu Yi Cliff Tea is more heavily fermented and loosely shaped. The aroma of the dry leaves is deliciously sweet, richly fragrant and reddish gold in color.

Dong Ding Wu Long Tea (Tong Ding Wu Long Tea) is made from tea plants grown in the Dong Ding Mountain area of Nantou Luku, the famous tea growing region in central Taiwan. As known commonly as Formosa Tea. The tea leaves are grown at an average altitude of 800 meters where the conditions proved to be ideal for this Wu Long Tea. This area gets morning sunshine followed by afternoon mist. Hence, the tea leaves produced are tender and fragrant, and of high quality. The sweet smell of the growing tea attracts cicadas which leave a secretion on the tea leaves, giving this tea an unique honey aroma. During spring, the tea leaves are handpicked and underwent medium fermentation. Dong Ding Wu Long Tea is unique for its ball-rolling processing. The resultant tea leaves are tightly curled into balls. The brew is light and fragrant, and has a honey aroma with sweet lasting taste.