Oolong belongs to a different category of tea than black or green teas. However, depending on the approach the tea master takes in processing the tea, an oolong may end up with more black tea qualities or more green tea characteristics. Black tea undergoes full oxidation during processing, giving the tea leaves their renowned dark colour and deep malty aroma.
Green tea leaves retain part of their original green leaf colour and freshly harvested flavour since very little oxidation occurs in the process.
Oolong tea is traditionally formed into thin strands, tight balls, or rolled, twisted, or curled teas. These hand-crafted shaping methods are based on the customs of the tea maker.
The amount of caffeine in oolong tea
The type of plant, how it was processed, and the method of brewing are just a few of the variables that might affect the amount of caffeine in any beverage made from a caffeinated plant. Oolong teas often have a caffeine level that lies between black tea and green tea. Similar to green tea, an oolong that has been lightly oxidised may contain less caffeine, while an oolong that has been heavily oxidised may contain more caffeine.
However, this can change according on how the oolong tea was processed and how the tea plant was grown. When you are concerned about caffeine levels in a particular tea that you are buying, it is usually best to ask the tea vendor.
Health advantages
As with other forms of tea, drinking oolong tea is claimed to have a number of health advantages.
- Heart condition
Oolong tea consumption and cholesterol levels were the subjects of research in China, as elevated cholesterol levels have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. They discovered that individuals who consumed at least 10 ounces of oolong tea each week had lower risks of having high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
People who consumed comparable volumes of green and black teas likewise saw the same results.Long-term oolong tea drinkers had the lowest levels of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. In another study, the effects of coffee, green tea, black tea, and oolong tea consumption on the risk of heart disease were examined in Japanese men and women.
Men who drank at least one cup of oolong tea daily had a lower chance of developing heart disease, according to research.
- Loss of weight
According to a mouse study, mice fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet and given oolong tea extract developed less belly fat than mice fed the same diet but not given the tea extract. Extracts of black tea and green tea also reduced the accumulation of belly fat. Additionally, the mice given the green tea extract ate fewer calories.
A study on obese and overweight Chinese people examined how oolong tea drinking affected body weight. Four times daily, study participants drank 300 mL of oolong tea.
More than half of the individuals had dropped more than 1 kilogramme after 6 weeks. Taiwanese researchers on cancer investigated the link between consuming tea and the incidence of throat or head and neck cancer. Oolong tea use reduced risk by 4% per cup per day, however the difference was not statistically significant.
More importantly, a daily cup of green tea was associated with a 6% decreased risk of head and neck cancer. To be confident, however, that drinking tea lowers cancer risk requires more research, according to the National Cancer InstituteTrusted Source.
- Diabetes
According to several research, having three or more cups of tea each day can reduce your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. However, oolong tea-focused studies have produced a range of outcomes. Healthy men who participated in one studyTrusted Source consumed about 6 cups of oolong tea daily.
They consumed oolong tea with added antioxidants in the form of catechins or polyphenols at various points in time. Five days were spent consuming each tea. Oolong tea use, according to research, did not raise insulin or blood sugar levels.
Conclusion
People all across the world have been drinking tea for centuries since it is a healthful beverage. A lesser-known type of tea called oolong may potentially have health advantages. But according to some of the evidence analysed above, drinking green tea might be the healthiest choice. The amount of healthy polyphenols in bottled tea is lower, and it can have too much added sugar.
When purchasing bottled teas, it may be preferable to opt for unsweetened varieties or to make your own tea at home and add a little honey to sweeten it. People can drink 2-3 cups of oolong tea each day, steeping it for as long as feasible to enhance flavonoids.