Oolong tea

Oolong is the partially oxidised leaf of Camellia sinensis — the same plant as green and black tea, but processed to a point in between, with oxidation deliberately arrested anywhere from about 10% to 80% complete. The result is the most varied of all tea families: a pale, jade-green, lightly oxidised oolong can taste floral, buttery and creamy like a green tea, while a heavily oxidised, charcoal-roasted one can be dark, woody, honeyed and almost as deep as a black tea. Brewed, it ranges from light yellow to deep amber and is prized above all for its perfume, the heart of the Chinese and Taiwanese gongfu tea tradition.