“Is Dongding Oolong Tea green tea?” No, Dongding Oolong Tea is not a green tea; it belongs to the oolong tea family. Because its brewed tea liquor is lighter compared to black tea, many people mistakenly think it’s green tea. Let’s explore the types of Taiwanese tea to help you quickly understand what Dongding Oolong Tea really is.
Is Dongding Oolong Tea Green Tea? Understand Taiwanese Tea Types in 3 Minutes
🍃 Green Tea: The most representative unfermented tea. Green tea goes through no fermentation process, with a fermentation level close to 0% (though slight natural oxidation may occur). It preserves more of the tea’s fresh taste and original flavor. Common green teas include Biluochun and Longjing, and matcha also belongs to the green tea category.
🍂 Black Tea: A fully fermented tea with a bolder taste and typically deep red liquor. Black tea undergoes deep withering and fermentation, with a fermentation level close to 100%. Famous Taiwanese black teas include SunMoon Lake Black Tea and Honey Black Tea.
🍵 Oolong Tea: A partially fermented tea with a fermentation degree between green tea and black tea, ranging anywhere from 10% to 80%, which gives oolong tea a much richer flavor profile.
As we mentioned, the production process of Dongding Oolong Tea includes one more fermentation step than green tea, and features the kill-green (fixation) process (which black tea lacks). High heat is used to halt the tea’s fermentation, keeping the oxidation level controlled between 25% and 40%—right between green and black tea. Therefore, it is neither green tea nor black tea; Dongding Tea belongs to the oolong tea category.