Oolong tea
Oolong (literally: “black dragon” in Chinese) is a category of tea which was almost unknown in the west before the early 2000s. Its name still draws hesitant, blank stares, and yet it is the widest of tea categories, and boasts the largest range of tastes, aromas and tea experiences. Oolongs can be light, green, fruity and floral, or dark-looking, woody, roasty. Yet always elegant. Oolong teas are incredibly labour-intensive and require mastery to produce excellent quality ones; it is with oolong teas where the teamaker’s hands are really felt.