Yesterday, my friend and I were talking about different types of tea, and she asked me, “Is oolong a black tea?” I wasn’t sure, so I decided to do some research.

Started with Google

I opened up my laptop and typed “is oolong a black tea” into Google. I scrolled through a bunch of websites, and most of them said that oolong tea is not a black tea. They explained that oolong tea is in its own category, somewhere between green tea and black tea.

Checked some tea websites

Then, I went to a few websites that sell tea. I looked at their descriptions of oolong tea and black tea. They all had separate sections for each type of tea. The oolong teas were described as having a wide range of flavors, from light and floral to dark and roasted. The black teas were described as being bold and strong.

Read some tea blogs

Next, I found some blogs written by tea experts. I read a few articles about oolong tea and black tea. One blogger explained that the difference between oolong tea and black tea comes down to how the tea leaves are processed. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized, while oolong tea leaves are only partially oxidized.

Tried some tea

After all that reading, I was curious to try some oolong tea and black tea side-by-side. I went to my kitchen and brewed a cup of each. I sipped the oolong tea first. It was light and floral, just like the websites had described. Then, I tried the black tea. It was much stronger and bolder.

My conclusion

So, after all my research and taste-testing, I can say that oolong tea is not a black tea. It’s its own unique type of tea with a wide range of flavors. I told my friend what I learned, and she was surprised. We decided to have a tea party next weekend and try a bunch of different types of oolong tea.