the truth about wulong/oolong tea

wu long, or oolong tea, has been around for a long time, but lately, there's been a growing buzz about the tea and its ability to help with weight loss. it's time to take a look at the facts and see what all the hype is about.

the study that set it all off was published in august of 2003 in the journal of medical investigation titled, "oolong tea increases energy metabolism in japanese females" [full article].

this study sought to follow up on an earlier (and lesser known) study involving 120 japanese women who consumed oolong tea for 6 weeks and saw a reduction in weight. in the current study, the intent was to compare the effects of oolong tea to green tea, the traditional choice of the japanese.

the study was conducted by the university of tokushima school of medicine along with several other japanese universities. it involved 11 japanese women who consumed either water, green matcha tea, or oolong tea after a meal. the results were interesting. oolong tea appeared to increase energy expenditure by 10%, green tea by 4%, and water not at all. this means that you burn more fat when you drink oolong or green tea after a meal.

the study also found that oolong tea has half the caffeine of green tea and half the levels of EGCG, green tea's cancer killing compound. the level of polymerized polyphenols was higher in oolong tea and is loosely associated with the weight loss results by the authors. all other polyphenol levels were identical between green and oolong tea. the differences between the two were seen as a result of the different processing performed on the teas.

it is amazing how quickly oolong tea has been marketed as a weight loss miracle. even more interesting is the fact that the name it has been marketed under is wu long tea, one of many variations of the spelling of oolong tea. as if it was somehow unique from the oolongs we have all enjoyed for so long.

but hype aside, it does appear that there is yet another benefit to our favorite teas. it looks like we drink green tea for its cancer fighting ability (EGCG) and oolong, excuse me, wulong tea for its fat burning ability. of course, oolong tea is my favorite kind of tea with its wonderfully complex flavor profiles and variety. its my daily choice regardless.

a popular oolong (wulong tea) for weight loss:

> Wulong Tea

some excellent oolong teas can be found here:

> Oolong Tea

References:

1. "Oolong tea increases energy metabolism in Japanese females", The Journal of Investigative Medicine, p170, Tatsushi Komatsu, Masayo Nakamori, Keiko Komatsu, Kazuaki Hosoda,
Mariko Okamura, Kenji Toyama, Yoshiyuki Ishikura, Tohru Sakai, Daisuke Kunii and Shigeru Yamamoto

the 'basic' tea brewing method

here we are. another year behind us. another year ahead. its hard to believe i've been at this for three years now. hard to believe we've survived and prospered as a company.

when i think back to the beginning, to before the company was even founded, i'm amazed at how little i knew about tea. only now, when everything seems like common knowledge to me, do i understand how little i knew.

with that in mind, i'm going to focus my first few blog entries on the tea basics. brewing, storage, tasting, origins, terminology, and so on. brewing is the most important of all the tea skills, with storage a close second. so we'll focus on it a bit more with two entries, this one for basic everyday tea brewing and another for the "gongfu" brewing method and its variations.

a good everyday tea brewing method has to be one that provides a good cup of tea with the least hassle. it doesn't have to brew the -perfect- cup of tea, but it shouldn't ruin a good set of leaves. this is easily accomplished by following a few simple steps and tailoring them to the type of tea. we'll also need some basic tea brewing accessories.

basic tea brewing accessories:

• tea filter, strainer, or teabags
  
  
• tea timer (or clock)
  
  
• 6-10 oz cup
  
  
• hot water
  
  
• thermometer (optional)
  

summary of basic brewing method:

• add leaves to tea filter, put in cup
  
  
• heat water, pour in cup/filter
  
  
• brew for recommended time
  
  
• remove filter from cup
  
  
• add sugar/milk as desired
  
  

now for a little more detail and some actual guidelines for brewing a good cup of tea.

tea filter - we start off with a good tea filter or strainer to put the tea in. this is an important choice and one that beginners often get wrong. a good tea filter will have plenty of room for the tea to expand, be made of a fine mesh to filter out all the particles, be easy to clean and include a lid (for black teas). here is my idea of the perfect tea brewing accessory and what i use everyday:

Fine Mesh Tea Filter

we'll leave more elaborate brewing mechanisms such as gaiwans to the gongfu section. this is for everyday brewing.

tea cup - now that we have our tea filter, let's make sure we have a good cup as well. sounds simple, i know. but you want a cup that is around 8-10 oz. not much larger and not much smaller. not for everyday tea, anyways. in the tea world, a cup of tea is defined as 6 oz. but i can drink that much tea in a couple sips. so we go for a good 10 oz cup and adjust our tea amount accordingly. the best cups for tea are made of glass. this gives you a good view of the tea color and body. second in line, and still a very good option, is white porcelain. this gives you a good indicator of color against the white background with the quality of porcelain. this is what i use everyday:

Magic Dragon Mug

i have to confess that i don't use the infuser included with the mug. i prefer the fine mesh one.

tea measuring - ok, we have the tea filter and the mug. now let's measure out how much tea we need. you should always follow the instructions included with the tea, but here is a good guideline. if the tea is a normal semi-broken leaf tea (usually the black teas) use one teaspoon, not too full, less is better. if it is a rolled or granular tea (which is heavier), use 1/2 a teaspoon. you can always adjust for your second cup. for full-leaf teas, which are very light, use one overflowing teaspoon, or even two teaspoons.

water - time for the water. bottled water would be best, but this isn't gongfu brewing. just realize that water has a large affect on the outcome of the tea. for everyday tea, i use a hotspot, which dispenses water at 160 degrees without the wait. 160 degrees is about right for a wide range of teas so it works well. for most people, this won't be the case, so we'll boil water. you're probably using a kettle, but if not, just let it go until it starts to boil. once the water is boiling, take it off the heat. if you are making black tea, go ahead and pour the water into the cup/filter combination. if you are making oolong, green, or white teas, let the water cool for a couple minutes. this brings the temperature down to a range that isn't going to hurt the tea. too low a temperature is rarely bad. too high is rarely good.

the lid on a cup or filter is meant to help control temperature. the rule here is simple. for black teas, put the lid on. all others, leave it off or risk the consequences.

brewing time - how long the tea brews is a crucial element in the process and the one most often done wrong. if not brewed for the right amount of time, the tea can come out bitter, grassy or tannic (that dry, puckery mouth feel). a general guideline for different types of tea is as follows.

for black tea, brew for 3 minutes. for oolong tea, brew for 2 minutes. for green teas, brew for 1 minute (then try 2 minutes). for white teas, brew for 3-4 minutes. herbal and fruit teas, brew for at least 5 minutes. the longer the better for herbals with any health benefit likely to be seen after 20 full minutes.

voila! - and there we have it. one great cup of tea without a lot of effort. a lot words, maybe, but not a lot of effort. after the designated time we simply remove the filter and leaves from the water. if we are brewing an average black tea, we throw away the leaves and rinse out the filter for next time. if we are brewing oolong, green, white, fruit or herbal teas, we can set the leaves aside for our next cup. that's right. one cup for black teas, multiple cups for all the rest. most teas will provide a good cup for 2-3 infusions with the same leaves. a quality oolong or white tea can go much farther, some to 9-10 cups with the later cups often considered the best. one important note here, don't leave the used leaves out for very long. a few hours and bacteria will have had its chance. throw them away and start fresh. and no refrigerated or frozen leaves, please.

sugar and milk can be added as desired. these are usually reserved for a strong black tea with the indian teas being the preferred choice. but all flavored teas take sugar well and it helps to bring out the natural flavors that are otherwise kept subtle to prevent them from overpowering the underlying tea. i've never seen milk go well with green or white teas and cringe at the thought (for some unknown reason).

ok, that's it. and i'm sure by now you're saying, enough already. i know i am. basic tea skill #1. how to brew a cup of tea. check.

the ancient espresso, japanese matcha tea

i recently added a matcha bowl or chawan to my collection and with it came the matcha whisk (chasen) and matcha powder. when i say they came with it, i mean, i couldn't resist the bowl and the bowl loses its meaning unless it is used to make matcha tea. thus i bought a whisk and some matcha powder as well and began my adventure into the world of japanese matcha tea.

of course, there is a lot more to matcha than a bowl, a whisk, and some powdered tea leaves. there is a whole ceremony behind it, the famous japanese tea ceremony, and competing schools of tea seeking to perfect a life based around matcha tea. i too dream of attaining some small space that i can call a tea room and experience tea beyond just the cup.

but i don't have a meditative retreat in my backyard or in some hidden corner of my house. i have only this cup and these leaves. these powdered leaves. i will have to imagine the rest.

in ancient japan, a guest to a home would be offered a cup of matcha. in a beautifully sparse room, a tea room, with a low table and cushions on the floor. a tokonoma along one wall, a scroll in the alcove with a water color painting of cherry trees blossoming in spring.

or even more personal. forget the table. two small cushions in front of sliding glass doors with a view of a snow covered garden beyond. a small plate with a rice cake treat of some sort. a fresh bowl of matcha steaming gently. a visit between close friends.

now i'm in the right mindset for making matcha. there are two ways to brew matcha, koi-cha and usu-cha, thick tea and thin tea. i prefer usu-cha, thin tea, for the simple reason that i've never tried koi-cha quality matcha powder. i'd like to, but it is pricey. and although i've made koi-cha style cups out of more common matcha powders, i wouldn't recommend it. i'm holding out for some premium matcha for that. the basic difference between usu-cha and koi-cha brewing is that with koi-cha you will use twice the amount of matcha powder as with usu-cha. generally, one full, level teaspoon versus one half or one quarter teaspoon.

preparing the usu-cha way, i place half a level teaspoon of matcha powder into my matcha bowl. i slowly begin to add water that is just steaming, stirring with my whisk as i go and filling the bowl about half way, 6 oz. then i slowly whisk the mixture to thoroughly breakup any small clumps and create a smooth, creamy texture. you want to produce a nice layer of froth on top, similar to a latte.

today mine has little froth, but i'm impatient. a quality matcha, properly brewed, is supposed to produce an aromatic cup with a creamy emerald texture and a unique sweetness.

ahhh. not perfect. but a respectable cup nonetheless. i'll have plenty of time to practice. for now, i can simply enjoy this cup and dream of heavy snow on frozen branches.