This week, we are studying a different kind of SIP.  Tea is probably the most popular beverage in the world. To learn more, I invited Virginia Hines of the Imperial Tea Court to share with us an article she wrote last month:

Introduction to Oolong: A Quick Primer

By Virginia Hines for the Imperial Tea Court

What tea lover doesn't love oolong, the strain of Camellia sinensis bred to emphasize its floral nature? In oolong, it's as though the characteristics expressed in the flowers of other camellia varieties have been sublimated into the big, thick leaves that bask in the sun during late spring and early summer, developing amazing amounts of flavor, aroma, and nutrients.

Traditionally, oolongs are made to the formula of three parts red (oxidized) to seven parts green tea. The color of the infusion varies, but it's often a robust gold or amber, reddened by oxidation, with an unmistakable floral nose that's sometimes mixed with fruit or charcoal (too much charcoal is undesirable). The leaves are always large and include some stem, whose distinctive "woody" flavor is intrinsic to the oolong experience.

Great oolongs come from one of four areas:

• Wu Yi Shan, in Fujian Province. This is the home of the renowned, high-fired yan cha. Wu Yi oolongs are rolled into the long, dark twisted shape that gives oolong (wu long, literally "dark dragon") its name.

• Anxi, also from Fujian, is the home of the beloved tie guan yin, a more overtly floral and fruity variety with added complexity from firing. The leaves are typically rolled into tight pellets.

• Feng Huang Shan (Phoenix Mountain) in northern Guangdong. Phoenix Mountain oolongs are unlike any other, extravagantly sweet and floral to the point you'd swear they've been scented (they haven't). They're rolled in the "dark dragon" shape and moderately fired.

• Taiwan, which has developed its own style of green oolong, a sweet, floral, and richly flavorful tea that retains more "green" notes than other oolongs. Similar to their cousins from Anxi, most Taiwan oolongs are tightly balled, but only lightly fired.

Oolong is an all-season tea that tastes great no matter what the weather. Get to know oolong and you’ll discover a treasure of Chinese culture that will provide year-round pleasure no matter where in the world you sip it.

To see the teas talked about in this article, visit our Web site.