3 reasons why you should drink oolong teas

What do you know about oolong tea? Oolong tea is a very special type of tea with incredible flavor and health properties. It's unlike other teas, because it's made from the large mature leaves of the tea plant, rather than the fresh buds used for green and black teas. In the image above, you can see how much a balled oolong tea, like our Avalon blend, can expand while brewing.

The particular age and oxidation of oolong tea allows for more complex flavor and more beneficial amino acids and antioxidants than black or green tea. Traditional preparation of oolong tea uses slightly cooler water than black tea, which may preserve its antioxidant activity compared to other teas.

Here are three reasons why you should get into oolongs:

1. Oolongs have a complex flavor

Unlike other teas, oolongs are the mature leaves (rather than young leaves) from the tea plant. Over time, oolong leaves acquire flavor and depth from their particular soil and climate. This is why oolongs, like wine, have terroir. Oolongs are often somewhere between green tea and black tea in oxidation. This gives them a huge range of flavors. Depending on how they are finished, they can have roasty flavors, milky flavors, or floral flavors, and everything in between. My personal favorite is Rare Leaves Black Pearl.

2. Oolongs give you more bang for your buck

You get more cups of tea from oolong leaves because they can be reinfused several times. We’re talking 3-5 very flavorful infusions. No kidding! Next time you brew an oolong tea, reinfuse the leaves multiple times. Some people claim that the second and third infusions have the best flavor because it takes time for the leaves to fully expand and release their flavor. This makes them a healthy and cost-effective choice, even if the oolong leaves are more expensive.

3. Drinking oolong regularly promotes healthy metabolism

Daily drinking of oolongs has some major health benefits. Oolongs have been proven to help with weight loss. Researchers are still trying to understand exactly why oolong teas promote weight loss and healthy metabolism more than other teas or caffeinated drinks. One study showed that overweight men who drank 8g of oolong daily for 6 weeks lost 1-3kg. (study link here). Two recent studies showed that drinking 2-4 cups of oolong daily increases energy expenditure 10-20% in as little as 6 weeks. This data also shows that oolong disrupts sleep less than other caffeinated drinks. (study link here)