The word Wulong (Oolong; in
Chinese 烏龍) is literally
translated as black dragon. So what we
call Wulong tea means Black Dragon Tea.
I've pondered this many times. Wulong tea is closer to a green tea type tea. It looks like a green tea when brewed as it has a beautiful clear
golden yellow color. It also looks like
a green tea in its prior to brewing. So
why call it Black Dragon Tea.
Because the origin
of Wulong tea is shrouded in the mists of antiquity there are three theories
about how Wulong Tea came to have that name.
But in my mind, one seems more likely from a historical perspective.
The first theory is
that it was first cultivated in the Wuyi Mountains(武夷山) of Fujian Province in China during the Ming Dynasty. Evidence comes in the form of two poems
published during the Qing Dynasty which followed. The Qing Dynasty started in 1644 and ended with the Xin Hai
revolution in 1912, when the empress dowager abdicated the throne on behalf of
her son the emperor.
The first is called
the Wuyi Tea Song by Yi Chaogun
In the fifteenth century
Tea fields were abandoned
As some of the rock tea starts to grow
The love it when the North wind
Starts to blow on a sunny day
But not the South wind or rain
The fragrance dissipates
The beautiful Plum and Orchid Aroma
Come
from the final baking process
The second is called Tea Tale by Wang Chaotang
Wuyi Tea is left to sun in a bamboo basket
Then roasted and baked
Longjing tea is pure because it is roasted but not withered
Only Wuyi tea is roasted and withered
Half green and half red
Roasted green and withered red
Left to wither then shaken
When the fragrance emerges; it is roasted
The
timing has to be precious
This theory seems
most plausible to me as these poems seem to chronicle the processing of Wulong
Tea. The process for preparing Wulong
Tea is still the same today:
- It’s picked by hand.
- Left in a basket in the sun to oxidize.
- It’s rolled into balls
- Baked in an oven
Black Tea (front) is in leaf form, the Wulong Tea (rear) is rolled into balls. |
The second Theory
is based on the Tribute Tea. This is
tea that was grown and processed for emperors, and dates back to the Song
Dynasty. The emperors of that time set
up the Beiyun Tea Garden again in Fujian Province. The tea produced there was in the form of a hard cake called the
Dragon-Phoenix Tea Cake. But as the
Song Dynasty became the Ming Dynasty this teacake fell out of favor. The Beiyun Gard changed its process to loose
tea. The result was a glossy, dark loose-leaf
tea. Called Bvlack Dragon Tea.
This version seems
less likely to me as Wulong tea is not a dark colored tea leaf, the color is a
green that turns to a yellow color as it brews.
The final theory is
based on a legend as are a lot of Chinese Traditions. According to the legend a man named Long, who was particularly
dark skinned and called WuLong (Black Dragon) was hunting. He was distracted by a deer and followed
after it. By the time he had returned
to the tea stored in his bag it was halfway oxidized. The tea became popular and was called Black Dragon Tea after this
man.
This legend while
an interesting story seems the least likely explanation for the name. In any case I drink Wulong Tea far more
often than any other kind.
Other posts you may be interested in:
Taiwanese Traditions: the Selling and Brewing of Tea
Taiwanese Tea: The Union Tea Company
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