What is Wulong Tea

What is Wu-long Tea
This is the most asked question about Wu Long out there, so we think it is important for us to answer it here. The answer is, all three of these are simply names for the same variety of processed tea! Again, they are the name for the same tea. There are companies out there that claim they are the only carriers of Authentic Wu-Long tea, but in actuality, it would be difficult to find someone selling "fake" Wu-Long unless they were actually carrying Green Tea, or Lipton. On the other hand, it is very hard to distinguish the difference between good Wu-Long and lousy Wu-Long. The Chinese have been working on perfecting the art of Wu-Long for millenia and they have produced quite a range of different teas.
The prices of these teas can range from a few dollars a pound to a thousand dollars a pound for the very best and rarest Wu Long.
So what makes the teas different? We have ordered and reviewed each type of tea so you can be informed about the type of tea you buy.
Wu Long tea, like most other teas, comes in a variety of grades. The Wu Longs you find in the Chinese stores packaged as Oolong are most likely made from the lowest grade of tea plant and result in a brew that is dark in color and very bitter in taste. Most of these teas have been sitting on the shelves for an extended period of time. The tea inside these packages quickly decays from the exposure to dry conditions, and many of the health properties of the tea quickly break down.
What about "Authentic" Wu-Long Tea? Most of the other brands of Wu Long tea you will find on the market that claim to be "Authentic" are darker in color, our known as Iron Rusted Wu Long by the Chinese. These are also cheaper and easier to make and distribute, because they are heavily oxidized allowing sellers to preserve the taste (though not the freshness) of the tea for a very long time. Many of these Wu Longs are made from the remnants of the high quality Wu Long, much as processed meats are made from left over factory meat. The tea leaves are ground up and packaged and allowed to get old before then are imported to the US. Thus, these teas may be "Authentic" but they certainly are not fresh, original, or even high in quality despite the outrages prices. e for it

Benefits of Wu-Long Tea
Next to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. For centuries people have been enjoying the taste and health benefits (knowingly or unknowingly) of wu-long and other teas, maybe you have too!
Majority rules! the health benefits simply cannot be ignored. Due to its overwhelming popularity, serious research has been conducted in the last 30 years regarding the many health claims of wu-long tea, mainly as a weight loss aid and antioxidant. Many links to technical abstracts supporting health claims have been included so if enjoy reading" technical or medical" journals you can find many in this website.
Wu-Long Tea Burns Calories
If your looking for a way to shed some pounds drinking Wu-Long tea may be just what your looking for!
Here is one study that validates the powerful calorie burning effect of Wu-Long tea...

Wu-Long Tea Blocks Fattening Carbs
Researchers in Japan discovered that drinking Wu-long tea before consuming carbs (15 minutes before) reduces the effect of the insulin boost usually associated when carbs are eaten. This means the carbs that are usually stored and converted to fat are blocked. You can eat cake, pasta, bread etc without gaining the weight associated with carb intake.
Wu-Long Tea Promotes Great Skin
In a new study published in the academic journal Archives of Dermatology, researchers from Japan's Shiga University of Medical Science found that drinking Wu-Long daily had a dramatic skin clearing effect, within about 4 weeks of regular consumption.
Wu-Long Tea Reverses Signs of Aging
As we age the effect of stress, pollution, processed food additives etc.. take its toll on your body by creating free radicals. These free radicals are responsible for producing many of the visible signs associated with aging such as dark spots and wrinkling of the skin. Drinking Wu long has been proven to reduce and destroy 1/2 the amount of free radicals in the body thus may help reduce the visible signs associated with aging.
Wu-long Tea Promotes Strong, Healthy Teeth
A study from the Dept of Dentistry at Japan's Osaka University , concluded that routine and regular consumption of Wu-Long tea reduced the effect of plaque deposit thus preventing tooth decay. This is due to the anti-bacterial effect against oral streptococci .

Strengthens Your Immune System
Drinking Wu-Long tea can bolster the immune system as suggested by recent studies, probably due to the strong antioxidant properties inherent in all teas.
What is the difference between the different types of Wu Long Tea and the different suppliers? Wu Long is an artisan craft, and there are many grades and qualities of Wu Long tea. For a company that doesn't have preexisting knowledge of Wu Long, they may have difficulty navigating the nuances of this artisan tea. This is because Wu Long, unlike green tea or black tea, has to be processed and then roasted at precisely the right moment to maximize the slimming effects and taste.