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In fact, wu yi tea is oolong tea. But not all oolong tea is wu yi tea. This may sound a bit confusing. Let’s talk about the various teas and then you will understand.

First of all, real tea is all from the plant Camellia sinensis. There are four different varieties: white tea, green tea, oolong tea and black tea. The variety depends on the processing.

Over 75% of tea produced in the world is the highly popular black tea. The leaves are harvested and then withered by leaving them out. The remaining moisture is then rolled out via a machine (CTC) or the old-fashioned way by hand (orthodox). The hand method leaves the tea in tact more while the CTC method is a bit harsher leaving the leaves more crushed.

After rolling, the leaves are left in a cool, damp spot, all spread out to oxidize. They go from a greenish color to a browner, amber color. Hot air is used to dry them. The tea is eventually sorted based on the leaf size and divided up into various grades of tea.

In processing green tea, the process is similar expect that there is no oxidation. Instead, the green tea leaves are steamed immediately after being dried to stop any oxidation process. The nutrients are also left more in tact. However, the tea has a sort of grassy taste without the oxidation process.

White tea comes from the “baby” leaves on the Camellia sinensis plant. It can only be harvested a few days in a year when the buds of the plant have yet to fully open. It is then processed similarly to green tea, but because the leaves are so young, the tea has a smoother, more delicate flavor. White tea has only been available for worldwide distribution as it was once reserved only for the Chinese nobility. True white tea remains rather expensive.

Oolong tea is the best of both worlds because it is only partially oxidized. This allows it to taste similar to black tea, but retain more of the natural nutrients as green tea. Obviously, this is an advantage because if you would like to reap the health benefits of green tea, but you prefer the flavor and aroma of black tea, you will enjoy oolong tea more.

So, what of the naming business? Not all oolong tea is wu yi tea because wu yi tea has to be grown in the Wuyi mountain chain to be called by that name. It is simply oolong tea produced in a particular area that is well suited for growing oolong tea.

It is sort of like “New Zealand” kiwis, only they leave the oolong completely out of the name. Oolong tea can be grown in other regions, but the quality may not match that of wu yi tea. The mountain range has a great climate and fantastic soil for growing oolong tea.

Just like white tea, wu yi was once only given as a gift to the higher ups in China. Finally, wu yi tea has become quite popular in the Western world. It is widely available on the internet. The popularity is likely due to its great flavor as well as nutritional value.

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