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The History of Oolong Tea

The history of Oolong tea - also known as "Black Dragon" tea - is a tad obscure. No one knows when Oolong tea started but it has been widely accepted that this wonderful tea probably emerged before the Ming dynasty. Scholars seem to agree on the dating but not how the tea itself came about.

There have been 4 different theories and/or legends about how Oolong tea came about...

A Tea Garden Picture from loveangeles.com

History of Oolong Tea #1

The first legend is related to the Wuyi - Wu Yi - mountains located in the Fujian Province in China. Historians said that Oolong tea first began to be produced on Mount Wuyi Shan at the end of the Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago.

The earliest records you can find about Oolong tea are found in two books published during the Qing dynasty - 1644 to 1911.

The first record is referred to as the Wuyi Tea Song - aka Wuyi Chage - by Yi Chaoqun and the second is Tea Tale - Chashuo - by Wang Chaotang.

Wuyi Chag

In the 15th century,
tea fields were abandoned
as some of the rock tea starts to grow
they love it when the north wind blow in a sunny day
but not the south wind or rain
the fragrance dissipates
the beautiful plum and orchid aroma
come from the final baking process.

Chashuo

Wuyi tea is first left to sun in bamboo basket.
Then roasted and baked.
Longjing tea is pure because it is roasted but not withered.
Only Wuyi tea is roasted and withered.
Half green and half red.
Roasted green and withered red.
Left to wither then shaken.
When the fragrance emerges, it is roasted.
The timing has to be precious

So in this case, the Oolong tea is named after the Wuyi Mountain where it was produced - Wu yi Oolong or Wuyi Oolong.

History of Oolong Tea #2

There is a county in the in the Fujian Province of China named Anxi. This county is well known for producing Ti Kwan Yin Oonlong tea - also known as the Iron Goddess of Mercy.

It is said that the tea plant - Camellia Sinensis - was name after the person who discovered it.

His name was said to be Sulong. Now, it is said that due to some misinterpretations of the local dialect Sulong then became Wulong.

History of Oolong Tea #3

This legend seems to be the most readily accepted for the birth of Oolong tea.

Again in the same Anxi Province mentioned above, there was a man who lived during the Ming Dynasty - around 1400 AD - and whose name was Wu Liang.

Wu Liang was said to be a tea farmer who went out to pick his tea one morning. He was doing a great job when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a deer. He knew deer meat would provide for his family for weeks. So he followed the animal and killed it.

He took the now dead deer home and forgot about his field and his tea.

When Wu Liang returned to his bags of tea, he found out that the tea has started to oxidize and therefore blacken.

The poor farmer thought that his tea was ruined but he decided to process it anyway and see what would happen. So he proceeded with the next step which was to pan fry the tea leaves.

Note: The leaves are no longer processed this way. For more information about this click here.

When Wu Liang made his cup of tea as usual, he was quite surprised to find that it tasted quite different from the Green tea he usually produced. However, he was quite please with the new flavor and aroma of this tea.

Wu Liang went on to teach others how to make this new tea which was named after him. Wu Liang eventually evolved to Oolong and the rest as they say is history.

History of Oolong Tea #4

If you study Chinese history for any period of time, you will discover that tea was a luxury and therefore not drunk by the "common people." Throughout Chinese history, tea was quite frequently used as "tribute tea."

Tribute tea was solely cultivated and processed for the consumption of the Emperor.

According to this legend, historians say that Oolong tea was invented as a tribute tea around the 10th century during the Song dynasty. The Song dynasty and its emperors are known for their artistic pursuits often at the expense of governing. The emperors were known for enjoying life's pleasures including - of course - the drinking of tea.

It is said that it is the emperors of this dynasty that started the "Beiyuan tea garden" in Fujian Province of China which is said to have lasted for over 450 years.

Note: A tea garden is a tea plantation.

The tribute tea which was produced in the "Beiyuan garden" was called the Black Dragon. It was named for the glossy and dark appearance of the tea's leaves.

Note: Tea was first made into tea cakes. A piece of the cake would be broken off to make tea. This method fell out of favor during the Ming dynasty when loose leaf tea started to be produced instead.

So when it comes to the history of Oolong tea - whatever the theory - Oolong is a wonderful, flavorful and healthy tea. It is even said - and has been proven - to aid in weight loss.

Here at "Fun Tea Party Ideas," we are pleased to suggest different flavors of Oolong tea.