Est. 1956 · The Order The independent guide to oolong: the partly oxidized teas, and how to brew them Oolong.biz
THE ORDER OF THE SEVENTH STEEP SEMPER PARTIM OXIDATUM OOLONGThe Order of the Seventh Steep
The Order of the Seventh Steep
OOLONG
Semper Partim Oxidatum Always partly oxidized

Tagged: processing

Article · Oxidation & Roast

Oolong's Stem Holds More Linalool and Geraniol Than Its Leaf

A 2025 tissue-level study of Tieguanyin found the stem holds more linalool, geraniol and other floral compounds than the leaf. A 2022 study found leaf processed with its stem attached finishes lower in linalool and higher in nerolidol than leaf processed alone.

Aug 2, 2026 →
Article · Basics

Why one plant makes green, oolong, and black tea

Green, oolong, and black tea are the same leaf from Camellia sinensis. What separates them is processing, above all how much enzymatic oxidation the maker allows before heat arrests it.

Jul 1, 2026 →
Guide · Oxidation & Roast

Oolong Aroma

More than 300 volatiles have been identified in oolong, and most of them were not in the fresh leaf. What the stress route and the roast each contribute, and why the received account of the locked glycoside pool is contradicted by direct measurement.

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Guide · Oxidation & Roast

Kill-Green

The heat step that arrests enzymatic oxidation in oolong. What denatures the enzymes and why it cannot be undone, the wok and the drum with their real numbers, how a maker judges it done, the two ways it fails, and the later defect that only resembles one.

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Guide · Oxidation & Roast

Oolong Oxidation and Roast

The two axes that define an oolong. What enzymatic oxidation is and how it is arrested by kill-green, why oolong sits partly oxidized between green and black, and how roasting is a separate step applied afterward.

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