Well, let me tell you about this Chinese Oolong tea, you know, the wu long cha stuff. It’s tea, plain and simple, but folks make it sound all fancy.

This tea, it comes from somethin’ called Camellia sinensis leaves. Same stuff they use for that green tea and black tea, you know, the ones everyone’s always yappin’ about. Only difference is how they mess with it, how they let it sit out in the air and whatnot. They call it oxidation, sounds complicated but it ain’t. It’s just like when you leave an apple out and it turns brown, you get me?

• It’s all about lettin’ those leaves breathe, see, but not too much, not too little.
• Just gotta get it right, that’s the trick to this oolong business.

Now, some say this tea got its name from some Dragon-Phoenix Tea, or somethin’ like that. Sounds like a load of hogwash to me, but who am I to say? Another story is this fella named Wu Liang, he discovered it by accident, they say. Left his tea leaves out too long, or somethin’, and bam, oolong! See? Accidents happen, even with tea. And then there’s the other story, the one about the dark dragon. Honestly, I can’t keep up with all these tales. All I know is, it’s tea, and it tastes pretty good sometimes.

They make this oolong tea in two main places over in China, Fujian they call it. One place is all mountains, Wuyi Mountains, and the other is Anxi County. Don’t ask me where that is, I ain’t never been there. All I know is, that’s where they grow the tea leaves and make this oolong.

Now, this tea, it ain’t just one kind, you know. There’s all sorts of different oolongs. Some are dark, some are light, some are kinda in between. It all depends on how they make it, how much they let it oxidize and all that. And let me tell ya, they got their own special ways of doin’ things. They use these tiny little pots, some made of clay. And they put in a whole bunch of leaves, way more than you’d think. Then they pour hot water on it, and they keep pourin’ it, over and over again. They call it gongfu, sounds like hard work to me, but that’s how they like it.

Some folks drink this oolong tea for their health, ya know? They say it helps ya lose weight, makes your heart strong, and keeps you sharp as a tack. They also say it’s good for your skin, helps your belly feel better, and calms you down when you’re all worked up. And it’s got that stuff in it, caffeine, that perks you up. But how much of that stuff is in there depends on where the tea comes from and how they make it, you know? Me, I just drink it ’cause it tastes good sometimes, especially when it’s cold outside and you need somethin’ warm in your belly.

They’ve been drinkin’ this oolong tea in them Chinese restaurants in America for a long, long time now. Since way back when, even before I was born, I reckon. And there’s a whole lot of Chinese restaurants in America, so you can bet there’s a whole lotta oolong tea bein’ drunk. You can find books about it too, if you’re into that kinda thing. They’ll tell you all about the different kinds of tea and how to make it just right. But honestly, I just boil some water, throw in some leaves, and let it sit for a bit. Ain’t rocket science, you know?

So, that’s the story of this Chinese oolong tea, as far as I know it. It’s just tea, but folks sure do like to make a fuss about it. But hey, it keeps ’em busy, I guess. And it keeps me warm on a cold day, so I ain’t complainin’. It’s good stuff, this oolong. You should try it sometime.