Have you ever wondered why Dong Ding Oolong tea or high mountain oolong tea are rolled into small spherical shapes instead of being in the form of long strips like black tea? Some people say that tea rolled into spherical shapes tastes better. Perhaps looking at the results now, this may seem true, but how did people initially know that rolling tea into spherical shapes would yield better flavor?
This question can be traced back to the birthplace of ball-shaped oolong tea, which is Tieguanyin tea from Anxi, Fujian Province in mainland China. Initially, the appearance of tea was in the form of strips. However, for the convenience of transportation and considering that there were often wild animals in the tea mountains, a new method was developed to roll the tea leaves into half-spherical shapes, reducing the volume by more than 30%. As the volume decreased, people discovered that the tea`s sweetness increased, but its aroma weakened. This is because the rolling process of the tea leaves involves heating, which causes the aromatic substances in the tea leaves to volatilize and undergo oxidation. This is also the reason why ball-shaped tea has a better sweetness but a weaker aroma.
Wenshan Baozhong tea, on the other hand, is a strip-shaped oolong tea known for its strong aroma but weaker sweetness. The invention of tea processing techniques mostly stems from functional needs, as new functions lead to the discovery of new flavors.
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