Oolong tea is the tea that you are used to being served in traditional Chinese restaurants. It is made from a type of leaf that is half way between green and black teas. This tea is almost always brewed to be very strong in taste. It gives the tea drinker an aftertaste that will remind them of something sweet. Some people say it is more like green tea but without the vegetable taste, while others say it is far removed from the fragrant odor that can be counted on with black teas. The truth is that oolong tea, when properly prepared, has an aroma and taste that sets it apart from both green tea and black tea.

When teas are categorized they are broken down into the classifications; odor, taste and aftertaste. Oolong tea, because of the process of roasting the leaves removes most of the odor. This process appears to diminish any potentially sour aftertaste. Many people feel that this process of roasting makes the tea easier on a person's stomach. Like the white teas this one should not be prepared in boiling water and should steep no more than a few minutes. Perhaps one of the most common mistakes that people make when preparing oolong tea at home is they allow it to steep far too long, resulting in a bitter aftertaste. The easiest way to prepare the tea properly is to boil the water then let it cool to about one hundred and eighty five degrees and then make the tea, setting a timer so that the steeping time does not exceed three to five minutes at the most. Many people feel that if it is made in boiling water than it will lose its flavor.

There are at many different kinds of this tea grown in China. The most popular, and most prized, is the Big Red Robe brand. The Yellow Rose has a flowery flavor while the Golden Buddha, a relatively new addition to these Oolong teas, has a strangely light taste. The color of this tea is somewhere between a deep cherry red and a pale nearly pink color. The lower quality teas are closer to black in color and may have a somewhat bitter taste. Those who believe that Oolong tea is good for your health suggest at least four, and up to ten is better, cups per day. They claim that this will increase a feeling of well being and improve the body's energy levels.