Oolong tea is a partially oxidised Chinese tea that sits between green and black tea. It's made from the same Camellia sinensis plant, but the processing — specifically how long the leaves are oxidised and whether they're roasted — creates a wide range of flavours. Some oolongs are light and floral, others are dark and roasty. That range is what makes the category so interesting to explore.
Our collection includes both styles. From Taiwan, we carry Alishan High Mountain Oolong (floral, creamy, grown at 1,300m) and Dong Ding (medium-roasted, nutty, with sugarcane sweetness). From China's Wuyi Mountains, there's Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) and Old Fir Narcissus (Lao Cong Shui Xian) — both darker, more heavily roasted, with that mineral rock rhyme the region is known for.
What does oolong tea taste like?
It depends on the style. Lightly oxidised Taiwanese oolongs like Alishan tend to be floral, buttery, and smooth. Roasted styles like Dong Ding and Da Hong Pao are warmer — think toasted nuts, stone fruit, and caramel. Wuyi rock oolongs add a mineral depth on top of that. Most oolongs work well brewed gongfu-style in a gaiwan or Yixing clay teapot, where you can taste how the flavour shifts across multiple steeps.
Does oolong tea have caffeine?
Yes, oolong tea contains caffeine — roughly similar to green tea, less than black tea or coffee. All our oolongs are medium caffeine and work well as morning teas. If you're switching from coffee to tea, oolong is a good bridge because it has enough body and complexity to feel satisfying.
Not sure which one to start with? We offer sample sizes for most of our oolongs, or you can try them at our Salamanca Tea Bar in Hobart before buying online.
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