Blue oolong tea: discover an exceptional tea that falls between green and black tea

Between the vegetal freshness of green tea and the depth of black tea, blue oolong tea cultivates a sense of mystery. At Betjeman & Barton, this tea of a thousand faces is discovered through crus from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand, chosen for the nobility of their leaves, the singularity of their terroir, and their remarkable power of evocation.

Blue oolong tea, an exceptional beverage between green and black tea

Also called blue-green or wulong, oolong tea primarily owes its identity to a precisely mastered semi-oxidation. After withering and tossing, this process is interrupted at the desired level, before rolling and then, depending on the style, roasting. Thus, according to the level of oxidation, the tea master places the leaf halfway between green and black tea.

This transformation, as delicate as a balancing act, gives birth to a family of teas of almost elusive diversity. A few extra moments of oxidation or a different rolling method are enough to transform the cup. This is undoubtedly where part of the secret of oolong lies: under a single name, radically different expressions are hidden.

Its historical lands are found in China, notably in the Fujian province and the Phoenix mountains of Guangdong, as well as in Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa. The art of oolong has also flourished in more confidential terroirs, in Korea or on the heights of northern Thailand.

Lightly oxidized oolongs favor white flowers, vegetal notes, and fresh fruit. More oxidized crus evolve toward honey, candied fruit, toasted cereals, chestnut, or precious woods. Some offer a naturally milky sweetness, while others deploy smoky or mineral accents. A range of flavors that gives each cru its own face, language, and way of revealing itself.

Savor a blue oolong tea with a unique aromatic profile with Betjeman & Barton

The Betjeman & Barton collection explores the multiple facets of this enigmatic tea, from great estate teas to the House's scented creations.

Formosa Oolong Teas

• Formosa Black Dragon Oolong Tea: an intensely oxidized, full-bodied, and velvety cru where grilled chestnut, hazelnut, dark honey, and dried fruits compose a warm cup, extended by a sweet and deep finish.
• Formosa Lapsang Crocodile Oolong Tea: an unexpected encounter between Taiwanese oolong expertise and the legacy of smoked tea. Heated wood, embers, toasted cereals, and a hint of honey outline a powerful silhouette, but one that is never harsh.
• Formosa Grand Oolong Tea: harvested on the slopes of Mount Dong Ding, it evokes chestnut, forest honey, roasted hazelnut, and undergrowth. Its high oxidation gives it an enveloping depth, softened by a beautiful suppleness.
• Formosa Jade Green Oolong Tea: its beautiful, almost green pearls reveal lily of the valley, peony, white honey, and white-fleshed fruit in a luminous liquor. An almost spring-like expression, which seems to change throughout the tasting.

H3 - World Oolong Teas

• Superior Organic Korean Green Dragon Oolong Tea: a rarity from Hadong with nuances of toast, golden honey, chestnut, and hazelnut, supported by a subtle minerality.
• Superior Organic Thai Jing Shuan Oolong Tea: grown on the heights of Chiang Rai, it marries orchid, magnolia, fresh grass, and a naturally creamy sweetness in a velvety texture.
• Chinese Wulong Dancong Phoenix Lan Hua Xiang Tea: a very great cru from the Phoenix mountains. Orchid, magnolia, honey, white peach, and exotic fruits unfold with remarkable persistence, revealing new nuances with each infusion.
• Wulong Milky Black Tea: from Anxi, in Fujian, this wulong seduces with its satin roundness and natural evocations of crème fraîche, sweet butter, vanilla, blond caramel, and white flowers.
• Paris s’éveille Wulong Tea: an enveloping creation where Chinese oolong welcomes chocolate, caramel, toffee, and cereals. A gourmet tea inspired by Parisian breakfasts, between familiar sweetness and distinctively Betjeman & Barton whimsy.

The exacting standards of a renowned House at the heart of blue oolong tea

Since 1919, Betjeman & Barton has traveled the great tea lands in search of remarkable harvests. This century-old experience allows the House to recognize crus whose richness does not exhaust itself in the first cup, those that reveal themselves slowly and always keep a part of their secret.

For each blue-green tea, the selection is based on the quality of the terroir, the finesse of the harvest, the integrity of the leaf, and the producer's mastery. Altitude, humidity, cultivar, degree of oxidation, rolling, and roasting compose a precise alchemy. Each of these elements influences the character of the tea and contributes to this fascinating diversity of expression.

The collection thus brings Asian tradition into dialogue with the French art of living: precision of gesture, a taste for the beautiful, a sense of pairing, and creative freedom. A vision where exacting standards never dispel the mystery, but instead offer it the most beautiful setting.

How to choose and enjoy blue oolong tea?

Choosing a blue oolong tea is first and foremost about following your inclination.

• Lovers of freshness will turn to Formosa Jade Green or Jing Shuan.
• Those who love autumnal tones will prefer Grand Oolong or Black Dragon.
• Gourmet palates will find their happiness with Wulong Milky or Paris s’éveille.
• Lapsang Crocodile will entice lovers of smoked teas.

Above all, oolong possesses this rare privilege: it never tells its whole story in the first cup. Its whole leaves can often be infused several times. Floral and luminous in the first steep, they then gain in roundness, fruit, honey, or roasted depth. The tasting then becomes a series of revelations, with each infusion bringing out a new facet of the cru.

To preserve this aromatic complexity, favor water between 80 and 90°C depending on the tea, as well as a wide filter, a teapot, or a gaiwan (Chinese lidded cup) that leaves the leaves the space necessary to unfurl.

At the table, pairings extend this interplay of nuances. A floral oolong accompanies fresh fruit, lightly sweetened pastries, or fine biscuits. A milky cru readily pairs with a buttery brioche, while a dark oolong magnifies desserts featuring chestnut, dried fruits, or caramel. So many ways to approach this multifaceted tea, without ever quite finishing its discovery.