High Mountain Oolong Tea Processing Explained

Here is how High Mountain Oolong tea (Gao Shan Cha) is made. This type of tea is traditionally made in Taiwan.


Today, we're in Ailao Mountain, Yunnan. Mr Huang is working in his tea factory on the final day of the Spring 2021 Harvest. We go through each step of the process that leads to a highly fragrant and sweet tea.


Oolong tea is the hardest tea to make. It requires a good amount of focus and a lot of work. After harvest, the leaves are brought back to the factory and laid on the roof for a short sun-withering. They are then taken to the ground floor where they are laid on mats for the shade withering. The leaves are shaken on flat bamboo basket and withered again, this process is repeated multiple times. After a final shaking in a tumbler, the leaves are oxidized in a dedicated room. Once the leaves reach their proper level of oxidation, the process is stopped by a fixation process which destroys the enzymes responsible for oxidation. Subsequently, the leaves are packed into a piece of cloth, which is tightened and rolled in a dedicated machine, then the leaves are untied and left to rest. This process is repeated 24 times, after which the leaves have the shape of tiny pearls. Finally, the tea leaves are dried with hot air.


You can find the tea made in this factory on our website:
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/