A netizen wrote to ask: “Is Oriental Beauty tea a black tea? When brewed, the liquor is deep and reddish, not like the jade-green liquor of ordinary oolong tea. Instead, it looks quite like a fully fermented black tea, and its sweetness is also very similar to black tea…”. Is Oriental Beauty tea really a black tea or not? Let’s reveal the answer!
Is Oriental Beauty Tea a Black Tea? The Differences Between the Two Teas
The answer is: Oriental Beauty tea is not black tea! It belongs to semi-fermented tea, commonly known as oolong tea, whereas black tea is fully fermented tea. Although they share some similarities in their production processes, the differences are what make the finished products vary greatly in appearance and flavor.
Differences in the Production Process
Like black tea, Oriental Beauty tea undergoes withering and fermentation after harvest. Afterward, upon reaching the proper level of fermentation, Oriental Beauty goes through “fixation” (shaqing)—a high-temperature process that halts fermentation, keeping it controlled at 60–80%. Black tea, on the other hand, skips the fixation step, resulting in a much higher oxidation level of 90–100%.
Why is Oriental Beauty tea easily mistaken for black tea?
This is because Oriental Beauty is a “heavily fermented oolong tea” with a deeper, amber or reddish liquor that looks quite similar to the brilliant red liquor of black tea. In addition, Oriental Beauty has a relatively high sweetness, leading some to find its flavor close to that of black tea. However, from a processing standpoint, Oriental Beauty is 100% a partially fermented oolong tea.
Appearance and Flavor Differences Between Oriental Beauty and Black Tea
- Liquor Color: Black tea typically has a deeper, redder liquor; Oriental Beauty tea leans toward an amber hue and is more transparent.
- Flavor: Oriental Beauty carries the fresh aroma characteristic of oolong tea, along with a natural honey-like fragrance created by the feeding bites of the green leafhopper. Meanwhile, black tea is predominantly rich and sweet, rarely featuring honey notes (though a few exceptions exist).
- Leaf Appearance: Finished Oriental Beauty leaves display five colors: white, yellow, red, brown, and green (green appears only with lighter fermentation); whereas black tea leaves are uniformly dark and black throughout. (Top image shows black tea, bottom image shows Oriental Beauty tea)
While Oriental Beauty tea shares some similarities with black tea in liquor color and sweetness, its processing and flavor profile still retain the hallmarks of oolong tea (a fresh aroma), especially its signature honeyed notes and complexity. Next time someone asks you, “Is Oriental Beauty tea a black tea?” you can confidently answer: It’s an oolong!