The name oolong tea comes into the English language from the Chinese name, The Chinese name means “black dragon tea”. 

 

Oolong（乌龙茶，Wūlóng chá）is a traditional Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis) somewhere between green and black in oxidation. It ranges from 10% to 70% oxidation. It is among the most popular types of teas served in typical Chinese restaurants.

In Chinese tea culture, semi-oxidised oolong teas are collectively grouped as clear tea. Oolong has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea（黑茶，hēi chá）: it has neither the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea nor the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet aftertaste. Several subvarieties of oolong, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian and in the central mountains of Taiwan, are among the most famous Chinese teas.

Oolong tea leaves are processed in two different ways. Some teas are rolled into long curly leaves, while some are pressed into a ball-like form similar to gunpowder tea.The former method of processing is the older of the two.