Tariffs, Uncertainty, and Stability

The U.S. tariff situation is still under review. We’ve done our best to stabilize the impact through careful pre-buying. Whatever happens, our mission remains the same: to keep you supplied with the best teas possible, without compromise.

What Exactly Is Oolong?

I find myself wanting to describe the category of oolong the way it is described in Taiwan, as a partially oxidized tea. Green tea is un-oxidized, black tea is fully oxidized, and oolong tea is partially oxidized. But this explanation falls short. Oolong is the wide-ranging category of tea that lives between green tea and black tea. Because of that, it’s incredibly diverse in flavor and aroma.

Oolong is the reason J-TEA exists. While living in Taiwan, I fell in love with this tea, and it sparked the beginnings of this business.

The origins of oolong trace back to Fujian and the Wuyi mountains of southern China. Americans have been drinking Wuyi tea since the 1700s, though it wasn’t yet called “oolong.” The earliest use of the term “oolong” in English appears in the mid-to-late 1800s.

By 1868, “Formosa Oolong” (from Taiwan) was being imported to the U.S. in significant quantities. Today, oolong makes up roughly 90% of Taiwan’s tea production. In 2015, Taiwan consumed 70% of its own tea and exported just 30%. As Clarissa Wei writes in Made in Taiwan, oolong is truly “Taiwan’s darling.”

Why Choose Oolong Over Green or Black?

Like many preferences, it often comes down to exposure. For me, living in Taiwan meant being immersed in oolong culture. Once you explore it, the sheer variety makes it irresistible.

Oolong offers both the floral delicacy of green teas and the rich depth of black teas, often in the very same cup.

Oolong in the Spotlight

• Luciano Giubbilei (award-winning garden designer) was profiled “over a cup of oolong” in Vogue.
• Emma Myers (Wednesday, NYT 8/24/25):
  “I've always been obsessed with tea — I almost opened my own teahouse before I booked Wednesday. Oolong is my favorite — I like how light it is and florally. I like to steep mine and make it iced. Then I put a tiny little bit of honey in it.”

Oolong is making the big time, one cup at a time.

Premiumization of Tea in the U.S.

The retail tea market is shifting. Shoppers are buying fewer boxes, but spending more per unit. Tea is premiumizing — and for good reason.

High-quality tea comes from the finest leaves, carefully harvested and crafted. Yes, the costs of raw materials, labor, and packaging are high. But when you consider that a single session with top-quality leaves can cost less than a café latte — and deliver far more depth and benefit — it’s easy to see why tea drinkers are choosing better.

Mass-market tea is harvested by machines in large quantities, keeping costs and prices low. In contrast, premium teas — like the oolongs we specialize in — are carefully hand-crafted, and their export value is correspondingly high.

Your Next Step

Want to dive deeper into oolong?
? Watch our short YouTube video about oolong tea

From the Teahouse

It always brightens my day when I see you at a tasting, hear from you in an email, or when I get to know your favorite type of tea. Oolong tea may be the heart of J-TEA, but you — our tea community — are the soul.

Thank you for supporting us, for asking questions, and for sharing tea stories of your own. If you haven’t stopped by in a while, I’d love to see you. Stop by and have a taste of whatever is "the brew of the day" and hop on the wall of tea.

With gratitude,
Josh Chamberlain
J-TEA International