Oolong tea and black tea come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis. But due to different production process, they differ in taste, aroma, and appearance. This article will help you to distinguish between black tea and oolong tea and decide which one is more suitable for you.

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Dried tea leaves

Because of the differences in the production process, dried tea leaves of these two tea varieties have different color and shape. Looking at their appearance is the easiest way to distinguish them. Black tea leaves are relatively small and have a dark color. While oolong tea leaves are big, light green and round shaped.

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Production

Black tea goes through a complete oxidation process using traditional methods. This process makes tea leaves much darker. Depending on the tea master, oolong tea is usually oxidized approximately from 8% to 80%. Lightly oxidized teas have delicate flavor and sweetness in its aftertaste.

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Taste

One of the mostly asked questions covers the differences in taste of these teas. Black tea has a mild sour taste with deep aftertaste. Oolong tea taste may vary depending on the degree of oxidation. It may have heavy flavor with roasted aroma, sweet flavor with fruit and honey notes, or fresh flavor with floral scent.

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Tea brew color

Due to the full oxidation of black tea leaves, brewed tea acquires deep red color. Oolong tea may have a range of brew colors. Oolong tea which is oxidized to 8-10% results in light and green or yellow color. If it is oxidized to 10-40% it tends to be a little bit darker. 80-90% of oxidation will make oolong tea brew color close to black one: red or even dark red.

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Health benefits

Both black and oolong tea are rich in antioxidants and can improve blood circulation, cleanse blood vessels, provide healthy skin, teeth and hair. But the production process and oxidation make them mainly differ in caffeine content. Oolong tea may have 30-50 mg per cup, while black tea has 40-80 mg. So, if you want to take more energy, you should choose black tea. Oolong tea is recommended for those, who stick to a diet or/and want to lose weight.

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Sense Asia offers a wide range of different black tea, oolong tea and milk oolong tea from Vietnam. Black tea collection includes Traditional Black tea, Earl Grey, Chocolate Toffee, and others. All teas are hermetically packed with minimum delay after receiving from the farm. We use only 100% natural ingredients for our tea, so it is absolutely safe and healthy. You can find all the information about these tea varieties and many other products on out online shop. Join us to taste the best tea and learn more about tea culture in Vietnam!