Friends who like to drink oolong tea should know that whether it is Wuyi rock tea or Phoenix single bush, they all have one thing in common, that is, "incense", some fragrant, some fragrant, why is oolong tea so fragrant? There are three main reasons for this.
Tea tree varieties
The differences in the fresh leaves and growth characteristics of different tea varieties determine the quality characteristics of oolong tea with different aromas. Many famous oolong teas are usually named after tea tree varieties, and their "variety fragrance" is very prominent, such as Da Hong Pao has "Rock Rhyme", TieGuanyin has "Guanyin Rhyme", Cinnamon has "Cinnamon Fragrance" and so on.
Most of the tea varieties of oolong tea are medium and large leaf species, the waxy layer on the surface of the leaves is thicker, and during the processing, the wax can be decomposed into aromatic substances, which is one of the aroma sources of oolong tea.
In addition to the large-leaf oolong, the epidermis of the leaves has glandular scales, and the glandular scales can also secrete aromatic substances, which is another source of the aroma of oolong tea.
The presence of lipid particles in the more mature leaves, a structure that is not available in the young shoots of one bud and one leaf, provides a material basis for the formation of a rich aroma in the initial production of oolong tea.
Fresh leaf standard
As the saying goes: "the material foundation determines the superstructure", the quality of fresh leaves directly affects the quality of finished tea, but not all the fresh leaves of tea are as tender as possible. The requirements of fresh leaves and green tea of oolong tea are different, and they need a certain degree of maturity to carry out "open noodle picking".
Fresh leaves in the "open face" state, phenylacetaldehyde, geraniol and other aroma components are higher, and contain more amino acids, carotenoids and other components, after withering, green will produce aldehyde aroma substances, is conducive to the formation of oolong tea aroma.
If the fresh leaves are too tender, the content of catechins and caffeine in the leaves will be high. The precursors of aromatic substances, such as sugars and ether extracts, have low content, and the finished tea made has a low aroma and bitter taste, which cannot meet the quality requirements of oolong tea.
Of course, the raw materials of fresh leaves must not be too coarse, so that the shape of the tea is coarse and scattered, and because the content of the substances contained in the leaves is low, and the cellulose content is high, it is difficult to form a high and mellow quality.
Processing technology
Green tea was originally created in Fujian, and the general process of green tea production is recorded in the "Tea Theory" written by Wang Caotang in the early years of the Qing Dynasty:
"After the tea is picked, it is spread evenly in bamboo baskets, and it is set up in the wind and day, and the name is sunburned, and the green color is gradually harvested, and then it is fried and roasted... DuWuyi stir-fried and roasted, when cooked, half green and half red, green is fried color, red is baked color also. ”
Spread out
The semi-green and half-red mentioned here refers to the unique processing technology of oolong tea - making green, which is the most critical process to form the characteristics of natural flowers and fruits of oolong tea with rich aroma and mellow taste.
In the first and middle periods of shaking green and cool green, the green odor of the green leaves becomes lighter, the fragrance gradually becomes thicker, and it has a slight floral and fruity fragrance. In the later stages of shaking green and cool green, the fragrance of green leaves turns from strong to light, and the fruity and floral aromas are revealed. These are the results of the complex enzymatic reaction of different boiling point volatile aroma components in the process of greening, and the aroma we can smell has naturally changed.
Shake the green
Of course, the formation of the aroma of oolong tea is indispensable to the step of baking, and the heat effect can make the tea taste become rich and mellow, and the aroma is getting higher and higher.
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