A Guide To Oolong Tea Caffeine

Good news to tea lovers who want to try different flavors, oolong tea is your new addition. Also, the oolong tea caffeine has higher consistency then green tea and lower in black tea.

What is Oolong Tea?

The oolong tea is made with the Camellia Sinensis plant. This tea has been slightly semi-oxidized and fermented which gives you the taste of green and black tea. Hence, one can find a large variety of oolong teas, though you can have the finest type of oolong tea from Fujian, China. The Chinese word for oolong is “black dragon” tea that usually comes in 2 different types.

Making of Oolong Tea:

While making the Oolong tea one must understand the process it passes through. Although all the teas either black, green or oolong tea the process initiated with picking up the leaves of Camellia Sinensis tea plant. Afterward, the process involves different types of processing activities, a variety of geographical characteristics, culture. and climate. Typically, these are the steps that are used in preparing your favorite oolong tea.

1. Withering
2. Cooling
3. Light rolling
4. Oxidizing
5. Roasting
6. Final rolling
7. Drying
8. Hand sorting

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Step-1: Withering:

Picking up the finest leaves for your favorite teacup. Tossing and shaking the leaves is very important, it helps you in determining the finest tea leaf. This step helps you in initializing the oxidation process that ultimately gives you a flavor. Afterward, these leaves were carefully laid out for several hours in the sun to “wither” and lose their moisture content. The tea leaves become soft and flexible after withering. Hence, they won’t break during shaping and rolling the oolong tea.

Step-2: Cooling:

Before initiating the rest steps the tea leaves have some time to cool down from sun withering. When leaving the leaves to cool down, they began to wilt and flatten down while start changing the shape and ready for another step i.e. light roll step.

Step-3: Light Rolling:

To create a unique look and enrich the flavor profile, this process is very helpful. Rolling the tea leaves slightly can develop a different texture in appearance and a soulful flavor in taste. As these wilted leaves lightly rolled down and further bruised. This bruising breaks the leaf’s cell walls, releasing the enzymes and that ultimately alter the leaves’ flavor. More rolling expose more chemical components of the leaves to oxygen that spurs on the next step of the oxidation process. This light rolling will maintain the shape of the tea leaves it will take.

Step-4: Oxidation:

Generally, oxidation is the chemical reaction that alters the tea leave flavor while helping in maintaining the development of tea leaves color and appearance. During this process, the type of tea either black, green oolong tea will be determined. Based upon the time allowed to tea leaves for oxidation or how long will the tea leaves be exposed to oxygen will evaluate the tea type and leave it will become. Depend upon the tea producer goals, color, and flavor of your Oolong tea, the oxidation level for oolong tea can be varied between 8 – 80%. Therefore, you must be very precise about color and flavor.

Step-5: Roasting:

Right after the desired level for your tea leave to oxidize the next step is to apply heat. This heating process will halt the oxidation process and start to dry out the oolong tea leaves. Roasting includes heat which is the most critical yet important step, it blends the final texture and flavor of the oolong tea.

Step-6: Final Rolling:

The primary characteristic of any oolong tea is its unique appearance. Hence, in this step the final rolling of the partially dried and roasted tea leaves takes place. Additionally, will then lock down the look and flavor of the oolong tea.

Step-7: Drying:

After the uniquely shaped and amazing textured oolong tea has been rolled down it time to dry these shaped oolong tea leaves. Properly dying and completely evaporate the moist content from the leaves is very important. Any negligence in this process will waste you all effort. After completely dry you can store your oolong tea for a longer time.

Step-8: Hand Sorting:

After properly dried the oolong leaves, now it’s time to sort the leaves into numerous groups. These groups can be based on similar sizes or colors. These sorted tea lots then shipped to different industries to rate the tea depending upon their requirements from broken leaf, whole leaf or unopened tea buds.

Does Oolong Tea Have Caffeine?

Originated from China, this oolong tea has been made by picking the leaves and spread under the sun for semi-oxidized and then dried within the shade. Afterward, the leaves were then put into the basket, then crushed into their surface cells. Furthermore, to stop the process of oxidation, these leaves then wok-fired. This wok-fired gives you the unique flavor and texture that lies between green tea brightness and black tea malting. Finally, at the last step, the oolong tea leaves are crisped or rolled into the crisp shape until it finds the way to your favorite teacup.

The crispy textured have a long curried black appearance. So when the leaves unfurl into the cup they became quite larger than black and green tea leaves. Perhaps one can ask: does oolong tea have caffeine? Hence, the one-word answer is “Yes”. Oolong tea does have caffeine. The leaves of oolong tea are semi-oxidized that lies in between green tea and black tea. The oolong tea is relatively stronger than green tea and slightly lighter than black tea.

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How Much Caffeine Can Be Found In Oolong Tea?

Based upon the variety and brand you are choosing the oolong tea can range from 16.6 mg per cup to 55.4 mg per cup. Typically, in an 8 oz cup of oolong tea, there is around 50 – 75 mg of caffeine content. However, in a coffee, there is about 91 mg of caffeine in the 8 oz cup. The tea caffeine can have higher effects based upon the time it steeped in the teacup. Although, each time the tea is re-steeped the effect of caffeine in oolong tea will be lessened.

Oolong tea has recently got popularity as it was promoted for weight loss. Similar to green tea or black tea that help people during their weight loss. However, there are no such artifacts found from research that proves the effect of oolong tea on weight loss.

Recently, the Journal of Food Science discovered Oolong tea caffeine content. Here are the variety of oolong tea brands and their caffeine content for 8 oz cup size (Using 2g tea)

Oolong Tea Caffeine Content

Nutrients Within Oolong Tea:

Similar to other types of teas (green or black), oolong tea contains the number of minerals, vitamins, and different helpful antioxidants. Hence, the cup of fully steeped brewed oolong tea contains these following content:

• Fluoride: 5–24% of the RDI.
• Potassium: 1% of the RDI.
• Magnesium: 1% of the RDI.
• Caffeine: 36 mg.
• Manganese: 26% of the RDI.
• Sodium: 1% of the RDI.
• Niacin: 1% of the RDI.

Typically in oolong tea, one of the main antioxidants in tea polyphenols. These antioxidants are EGCG, Theaflavins, and thearubigins. Furthermore, these antioxidants are filled with so many health benefits. Additionally, Oolong tea contains theanine. This theanine is an amino acid that brings the relaxing effect of the tea.

Benefits Of Oolong Tea!

Oolong Tea Is Effectively Beneficial For:

Mental Alertness:

Oolong tea caffeine is very useful for keeping the mind active. Drinking this caffeinated drink enhances mental health and keeps your body active throughout the day. By adding the sugar into your oolong tea can highly affect the nervous system and improve the performance.

Preventing Ovarian Cancer:

For women who drink tea (black, green or oolong) on a regular basis can have a lower chance of developing ovarian cancer than women that don’t consume any caffeinated tea.

Although there is limited scientific evidence and proves regarding these citied below benefits of Oolong tea. Yet you can get the maximum benefits from Oolong tea such as:

• Several people taking oolong tea to prevent skin allergies.
• Some people take this tea to sharpen their thinking skills
• Taken through mouth this tea can help in losing the weight
• Help in preventing cancer
• This tea also helps to prevent brittle bones
• Rotting teeth.
• Oolong tea amazingly improve the immune system
• Taking oolong tea can help you in hardening of the arteries
• To treat heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol many people recommend oolong tea.

Read More: How Does Caffeine Affect The Heart?

Buying And Storing Oolong Tea:

Properly storing oolong tea is important. As the storage ensures the freshness and quality of your oolong tea as long as possible. One of the best ways is to buy your favorite oolong tea from the reputed tea producer brand. They can tell you the manufacture date and the best before use date. Additionally, these companies will tell you how to properly store the oolong tea, or tips to prolong the life.

While buying the product must ask about the oxidation level from the vendor for your oolong tea. The more the oxidized tea the more shelf-stable it will be than less oxidized tea.

• The oolong tea won’t taste bad if sits for long but you can slightly have stale texture.
• It’s good to store your oolong tea in an opaque airtight container under cool dark place.
• Keep your caffeine product from light and moisture and from other pantry items such as spices, coffee to save your oolong tea leaching with these flavors.
• Typically, before to replace or used, oolong tea can be last for 6 months to a max of 2 years.

Preparing Oolong Tea:

Oolong tea contains different oxidation levels and also contains different techniques of processing. This enables the preparation of different oolong tea to prepare, brew and steep the tea differently. The best practice is to ask from the specific vendor and understand the brewing instructions of the product you purchased. However, these are the general rules for brewing your soothing cup of oolong tea:

• Use either pure, fresh cold filtered water or spring water can be the best option.
• Typically, the oolong can be steeped into the water for 60 seconds to 3 minutes under the temperature of 180 – 200 degrees. As oolongs are of different styles the steeping temperature and time can also be affected.
• If you don’t have temperature control kettle then remember this point of pondering. At the sea, level water boils at 212 degrees and simmer at 190. However, the boiling temperature drops about a degree, after an altitude increase of 100 degrees.
• Many of the oolong teas have been prepared to steep numerous times. Steeping unfurls the oolong tea rolls or twisted leaves more and more into the teacup can enhance the more rich texture, color and flavor profile. Commonly, it’s a regular practice of infusing three to five times oolong in a single cup for high quality.
• It’s good to have slight infusions. Keeping is short and smooth for better taste. However, avoid steeping your oolong tea. Take it slow, steep it once, taste it, if you still need more fine texture steep it again, perform this till you get your desired taste.
• If you’re brewing recommendations has already mentioned in your oolong tea instructions than follow them. Else use about 2 gm. of leaf per 8 oz. cup of water as a safety belt.
• Cover the oolong tea during steeping. It will keep all the heat of the kettle into the steeping vessel.
• The art of preparing a perfect cup of oolong tea involves a lot of time. One must put much time into mastering the skills. However, to have the most aromatic handcrafted flavor, prepare it plain with zero additives like sugar or milk.

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Oolong Tea Caffeine – Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is oolong tea high in caffeine or black tea?

The black tea is fully fermented and has high oxidants whereas Oolong tea is partially fermented that has low oxidants. So black tea has high caffeine than oolong tea.

2. How much caffeine does coffee have compared to oolong tea?

According to stats from the US. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is around 95 mg of caffeine in a cup of 8 oz coffee whereas in oolong tea caffeine is 36 mg per8 oz of brewed coffee. So caffeine in oolong tea is less than in a cup of coffee.

3. What is so special about oolong tea?

This oolong tea has tremendous health benefits. These are the few special benefits of oolong tea:

• Heart, dental, bone and brain health
• Boost your metabolism
• Decrease type 2 diabetes
• Protect against cancer
• A tasty addition to a healthy lifestyle

4. Does oolong tea make you sleepy?

The stimulants effects of caffeine in oolong tea have alertness that boosts your mind. Afterward, caffeine in oolong tea can block the sleep producing effects.

5. Is oolong tea Chinese or Japanese?

Oolong tea is traditionally originated from China, it means “Black Dragon tea”. Generally, green tea used in the ceremonies of Japanese Tea.

6. Does oolong tea have a lot of caffeine?

Well, you can expect oolong tea to have more caffeine than green tea but definitely less than black tea. It does have caffeine but the quantity generally depends on the brand of it you are using.