Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Tongding Oolong Tea, with its unique production method and characteristics, combines the health benefits of both green teas and black teas. Rich in tea polyphenols, L-theanine, and other exceptional microelements, Tongding Oolong Tea offers a range of advantages, including reducing the risk of heart disease, preventing cancer, maintaining skin elasticity, promoting dental health, and boosting mental well-being.

1. Reducing Stroke and Heart Disease Risk – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Scientific studies suggest that green and Oolong teas play a potential role in preventing strokes. Regular consumption of tea is associated with a lower risk of stroke, and Tongding Oolong Tea, with its moderate caffeine content, contributes to maintaining optimal caffeine intake levels.

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In addition to reducing the risk of stroke, Oolong tea promotes heart health and lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Oolong tea contains catechins and tea polyphenols, which can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, contributing to maintaining a healthy heart.

Research indicates that individuals who consume Oolong tea have lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol compared to those who do not.

2. Lowering Parkinson’s Disease Risk – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Another benefit of Tongding Oolong Tea is its potential to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Apart from enhancing brain function, Tongding Oolong Tea increases neurotransmitter activity, providing neuro-alertness through compounds like L-theanine, tea polyphenols, and caffeine, maintaining a calm brain state.

3. Nourishing Skin – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Enjoying Tongding Oolong Tea contributes to healthier, more elastic skin, relieving itchiness and restoring dry skin. The various antioxidants in Tongding Oolong Tea alleviate skin sensitivity and allergic reactions, while its antioxidant properties help reduce visible signs of aging, preserving youthful skin.

4. Enhancing Mood and Energy – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Feeling low in spirits? Boost your overall mood by brewing a cup of Tongding Oolong Tea! With L-theanine, Tongding Oolong Tea helps clear your mind, quickly elevating energy levels, steering you away from feelings of low spirits.

The tea ceremony ritual brings a sense of relaxation, rapidly providing sufficient caffeine and natural amino acids to accelerate metabolism, offering a more vibrant feeling.

5. Maintaining a Healthy Gut – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

For those aiming to improve the immune system, reduce allergy issues, enhance liver health, and address other digestive system problems, cultivating a healthy gut environment is crucial.

Scientific studies show a positive correlation between tea and gut microbiota. Tongding Oolong Tea has been proven to be an excellent choice for achieving optimal gut health.

6. Boosting the Immune System – Tongding Oolong Tea Benefits

Drinking Tongding Oolong Tea significantly strengthens your immune system. Rich in flavonoids beneficial for the immune system, Tongding Oolong Tea helps prevent cell damage and stimulates the production of antibacterial proteins, aiding the body in resisting unwanted invaders.

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Tea leaves in yellow-sliver soil – Introduction to the region of origin Tongding Oolong tea

Tongding Oolong tea has hundreds of years of history, which is one of the must-haves for tea drinkers. Unless you know specifically, the majority of people will think that “Tongding” is the name of a company or brand. In fact, Tongding is actually a tea mountain in Lugu Township, Nantou County.

Tongding is literally a very cold mountain. The deeper meaning of this tea mountain is, “Tong” in Hokkien means the action of raking soil with toes, and “ding” is the top of the mountain. The name comes from the wet and slippery soil on the mountain. When people go up a mountain barefoot, they need to rake the soil with their toes to prevent slipping.

Due to the colour of soil on Tongding mountain, local people call it “Huang yin soil (yellow-sliver soil)”. This type of soil is characterised by good drainage, which is the preferred growth environment for tea trees. Among them, Fenghuang Village, Zhangya Village and Yonglong Village also produce this type of tea. The nourishing and mild climate of the yellow-silver soil, combined with the strong sunlight, creates the thick and floral taste of Tongding Oolong tea. If the tea leaves are roasted in the process, it will have a stronger and fuller taste.

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Steps for achieving perfection. The process introduction of Dongding Oolong tea

Tongding oolong tea imitates the method of making Anxi Tieguanyin, which belongs to the production method of hemispherical Pouchong tea. This method originated from kneading and baking skills passed on by Wang Taiyou and Wang De to Nantou villagers from 1939 to 1941.

The steps are roughly as follows: picking → outdoor withering (sun withering) → indoor withering (stirring, fermentation, oxidation) → fixation → kneading → kneading into a ball → drying → baking

The biggest difference between Tongding oolong tea and other tea is: generally, young leaves are mostly collected when picking tea leaves, but the mature leaves are mainly collected for the Tongding Oolong tea. The reason for this is to prolong the indoor withering time as the more mature leaves can withstand multiple stirrings without damage. Increasing the number of stirrings will cause the edges of the original green leaves to have red edging.

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Mystery on the tip of the tongue – Tongding Oolong appearance, taste, features

Tongding Oolong tea is a kind of medium-fermented, hemispherical tea, and it is made by a baking process. What makes the tea leaves round is the process of kneading into a ball as multiple extrusions and post-fermentation will have a richer taste of Oolong tea.

The tea leaves that have been kneaded and roasted also enhance the production of the sweetening effect. The colour of Tongding Oolong tea is dark amber and the smell is the aroma of steamed rice. Some people call it “glutinous rice fragrance”, whereas some people think of it as an “oily smell”. Therefore, it is positioned as a “cool throat, sweet and oily smell”.

Additionally, there is a characteristic of Tongding Oolong tea. Due to its low moisture content and the chemical substances in the tea have been stabilised, it can be stored for a long time. This has also become an old tea with an aftertaste and a smooth taste.

Want to brew a good cup of tea? There is a way!

Here, I will share the simple brewing method of Tongding Oolong tea with you as I believe it is helpful for people who are brewing tea for the first time!

1. Firstly, pour 95℃ of boiling water into the teapot as this action is for heating the pot and cleansing. Afterward, pour an appropriate amount of tea leaves according to personal preference. Generally the teapot is about 6 grams, or alternatively, it can simply line the bottom of the pot.
2. Pour boiling water in a circle along the edge of the pot and pour the water out quickly when it is about 9/10 full. Then, pour boiling water at 95°C, 150c.c. to cover the pot and soak for about 45 seconds before drinking. -> this will be the first round.
3. After finishing the first round, the second round of brewing is about 40 seconds, the third brew is 50 seconds… and so on. Each round adding an extra 10 seconds and a pot of tea can be brewed about 6 to 7 times.

As for the utensils for brewing tea, I have adapted to using clay pots, but ordinary mugs and glasses can also be used!

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Selecting the suitable one rather than the cost-oriented one – Types of Dongding Oolong tea

Although they are all Tongding Oolong tea, the flavour and price are still significantly different. I will take you to understand how to select suitable tea leaves for yourself. 

Traditional Tongding Oolong tea:

It is also called ‘older people tea’. For those who are tasting tea for the first time, it may be too strong to accept; on the contrary, this is one of the favourite teas for tea experts and enthusiasts. The more you drink, the more delicious the tea smells. The reason for the heavier smell is also from the baking method.

Slight fragrant Tongding Oolong tea:

The hemispherical leaves exude a light fragrance, the brewed tea is golden yellow, and the taste is distinct. It is refreshing and sweet to drink, suitable for people who are new to tea. It is accepted by most people, and it is also the most suitable to prepare for guests.

Strong fragrant Tongding Oolong tea:

Made with sufficient fermentation and careful roasting, the colour of tea brew is dark amber. If you like a stronger tea fragrance, you should choose strong fragrant Tongding Oolong tea, and the market price is also very friendly to the people. I personally enjoy making strong tea with a little fresh milk, which is authentically known as Oolong milk tea.

Sweet fragrant Tongding Oolong tea:

Made by traditional craftsmanship, it undergoes sufficient fermentation and light roasting during the fixation process. The brewed tea has a high pectin content, in addition to the tea fragrance, it also has the fragrance of ripe fruit, which makes the taste rich in every layer, sweet without bitterness. If your personal taste is sweet, it is recommended to choose this type.

Handmade charcoal Tongding Oolong tea:

Handmade charcoal roasting to create a deep tea aroma is a tea-making process that has been passed down for 30 years. A sweet aftertaste is extremely rare for the majority of teas. For old tea lovers, when ordinary tea leaves can no longer meet your needs, handmade charcoal-roasted frozen top Oolong tea will become your best choice. The tea leaves are fully fermented and hand-baked with Longan charcoal, the sweet taste is endless, which is certainly impressive.

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The price of Dongding Oolong is high but reasonable

Compared with green tea and black tea, the price of Tongding Oolong tea is high as its production process is cumbersome and requires careful care. It is possible to purchase Tongding Oolong tea anywhere from one thousand to tens of thousands of TWD per pound. The reasons that affect the price may lie in the management method of the tea garden, the production technology, the time-consuming manpower, the storage time and many other factors. If one type of tea wins in the tea competition, the price will skyrocket. For example, the special prize of tea in the Deer Valley Farmers’ Association Competition will be as high as NT$300,000 ($10,000 dollars) per catty.

Thus, don’t make a fuss about the price difference of tea, the higher quality tea is worth, the higher price. Of course, it does not mean that the expensive one is superior to others. The most important thing in tea drinking is to clearly understand yourself about what kind of tea you like!

Here’s where the editor’s introduction ends. We hope this introduction has provided you with a bit more understanding if you are interested in tea. Consider checking out a box of premium selected high-quality Tongding Oolong tea bags for an exclusive experience!