Oolong Tea Buying Guide

Oolong is one of the few categories where both halves of this question are real, because some oolong is genuinely worth ageing .

A roasted oolong is the better gift of the two broad styles. It keeps well, it tolerates a boiled kettle , and it smells of dried fruit.

Oolong runs from about 15 percent oxidation to about 70, from unroasted to heavily charcoal roasted, and from a few pounds a kilo to several hundred.

At the light end, around 20 per cent oxidation, it is close to a green tea: floral, green, and best drunk young.

A good tea shop is the only place where you can smell and taste before you pay, and for oolong that matters more than for most teas.

Oolong has the widest price range of any category, from a few pounds for 100 grams to several hundred. Most of that range is real, which is unusual.