Tagged: chemistry

The Altitude Premium Depends on the Cultivar

Wuyi rock tea buyers pay a real premium for elevation, on the assumption that higher always means better. A controlled trial across six cultivars found that mostly true, and for one cultivar exactly backwards.

Oolong Carried the Least of a Compound Class That Should Have Favored Green Tea

A 2026 study measured advanced glycation end-products, the same compounds tied to aging and inflammation, across five tea types. Oolong came out lowest of all five, and the antioxidant story that usually explains oolong's health claims does not explain why.

Honey Orchid to Duck Shit, and Whether the Names Are Real

These Chinese oolongs, the Phoenix Dancong family, are named for a smell, not a place, and nothing is added to the leaf. Gas chromatography has now checked whether a bush named for one scent really carries different chemistry from the next. Mostly it does, but the lab draws fewer lines than the menu.