Today, milk oolong tea is becoming more popular. For many, this name is associated with the soaking of leaves in milk, and therefore it is especially viable, but this is not true.

Milk oolong tea - what is it?

Milk Oolong Tea (Nai Xiang Oolong Tea, Nai Xiang Jin Xuan - “Oolong Tea with Milk Aroma”, “Golden Flower with Milk Aroma”) is an unusual type of tea growing in the mountainous regions of Taiwan and China.

It differs from the usual black and green in that:

  • its processing stops at the “golden mean”: it is weaker than black, but stronger than green;
  • the leaves have a more or less pronounced smell of milk and caramel, but this has nothing to do with milk: this is the peculiarity of oolong fermentation (it is also called oolong), during which the leaves are partially oxidized and dried, gaining milky notes in a natural way;
  • brewed tea acquires a golden color and spreads the aroma of cream and caramel, sometimes with a slight honey hue;
  • the leaves of this tea in dry form are half-twisted, unfold when brewed in hot water and may not be the same color.

Natural milk oolong on store shelves is not common. And he is very expensive. This is large-leaf tea, fermented, as already mentioned, in a non-standard way. Most often, under the name "Milk Oolong" is a cheaper ordinary green tea with artificially imparted milky taste and smell.

Vitamin and mineral composition and calorie content

Milk Oolong Tea is an extremely rich product with more than four hundred ingredients.

Including:

  • polyphenols;
  • catechins;
  • essential oils;
  • vitamin C;
  • pyridoxine;
  • tocopherols;
  • calciferol;
  • thein (an analogue of caffeine).

The drink has a real wealth in terms of micro and macro elements and vitamins.

From it, the body receives:

  • vitamins P, PP, A, E, B, D and C;
  • minerals of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc.

This type of tea is often included in diets designed to lose weight. Despite the variety of elements contained in it and a significant amount of protein - 68.8%, milk oolong is a low-calorie product. One hundred grams of dried leaves contains only 140 kcal - 7 percent of the daily intake, or 1.4 kcal in one teaspoon.

What are the varieties of tea

There are two types of plants — Chinese oolong tea and Taiwanese oolong tea. Drinking from the first has a more delicate taste and aroma, while the second one and the other is much more pronounced. Thais say that this is due to sharp fluctuations in day and night temperatures on alpine tea plantations. It is from Taiwanese that they produce elite tea varieties.

There are highly fermented, almost black teas. As, for example, a very expensive and beloved by true connoisseurs Tak Hong Pao. Varieties with weaker fermentation are available. And also artificially flavored - with the addition of ginseng, rose petals, cinnamon flowers and more.

To buy a really high-quality product, you need to remember a few characteristic qualities.

  1. Good tea has a strong enough pleasant odor.
  2. Its dry leaves are twisted and resemble compressed bags.
  3. "Sachets" should not differ in size.
  4. The color of all elements should be the same - green.
  5. In expensive varieties of the highest quality, the color of dried leaves is different: in the center they are green, as if they were not subjected to fermentation. And on the edges are like brewing large-leaved black tea.
  6. If any additives, any, are visible in the package, this means only one thing: such tea does not differ in high quality.

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Useful properties of milk oolong tea for men and women

Like any other product, this tea should be consumed wisely. Only then can you experience the benefits of milk oolong, improve both mental and physiological conditions.

  1. It is indispensable for the cardiovascular system, since it strengthens the walls of veins and arteries, makes the heart muscle stronger and more durable. If you drink milk oolong regularly, you can reduce age-related heart problems.
  2. A large amount of tea in tea increases the tone and mood, with it a person stays awake and efficient all day.
  3. On the contrary, with excessive excitement, milk oolong can calm the nervous system.
  4. 2-3 cups of drink per day very noticeably improve the condition of the skin with dermatological problems, even with eczema.
  5. Minerals and antioxidants in tea protect teeth from caries and strengthen the structure of bones.
  6. In diabetes, especially the second type, milk oolong normalizes blood glucose levels. It is useful to drink it and insulin-dependent patients.
  7. Among the beneficial properties of tea, many note the ability to calm headache attacks.

If a woman drinks milk oolong, it significantly reduces the risk of developing breast cancer - thanks to an element with an intricate name - epigallocatechin gallate. In addition, at the cellular level, with the help of L-theanine and a record amount of antioxidants, the body's aging processes are inhibited, and this also benefits the appearance: the skin looks perfect, and the eyes shine.

The help of oolong is also invaluable in the climacteric period, when after hormonal changes it is necessary to regulate the work of the genitourinary system.

A drink will protect men from prostate cancer.It will also clarify the brains after yesterday's tumultuous party - polyphenols will ease a hangover.

Milk Oolong Slimming

The ability to help with weight loss is also one of the very good characteristics that many fans of this tea use.

The culture of the proper use of the drink is as follows.

  1. Only two cups a day - and the metabolism in the body will be 10 percent more active, burning excess fat.
  2. Milk oolong "boosts" the pancreas, makes it more actively produce insulin, lowering the amount of sugar in the blood. So, he will not linger, turning into body fat. And to maintain energy, new carbohydrates will enter the body with food.
  3. Positive effect on fat metabolism and tannic components in tea.

In general, three cups of milk oolong per day is minus 5 percent of the mass in three months. Interestingly, women lose weight faster than men.

How to brew and drink black tea

To feel and appreciate the taste and aroma of any tea, you need to know how to brew a drink. In general, the basis of any tea ceremony is the main classical requirement: water temperature and brewing time depend on the degree of leaf fermentation. So, for black oolong, they should be more than for green.

At what temperature do you brew black tea?

It is better to take porcelain, ceramic or clay dishes for brewing. Such vessels will provide the desired temperature, will not allow foreign odors to intervene, will not spoil the tea with someone else's taste.

Water should be heated to 75-850C. Or cooled to this level, if I managed to boil. But still, it is not worth bringing the water to a boil. This will prevent you from getting a perfectly balanced taste and smell.

Of course, it is unlikely to get water from a crystal mountain source. However, from the tap is not suitable. The best option is a non-carbonated bottled dining room.

How long does it take to brew tea

The teapot must be rinsed with hot water. Why is this done? The heated walls of the dishes will help the tea leaves to open more fully. It is filled with water of the right temperature for literally five seconds. The water is drained immediately, the steamed tea leaves remains inside. As experts in tea ceremonies say, such a procedure “wakes up” tea, relieves it of possible dust and other people's smells.

After making sure that there is no water left in the teapot, it is again filled so that the prepared portion is immediately drunk. After a minute, you can pour into cups or bowls.

You can brew tea from the same portion up to eight times. But each time the brewing time is extended by half a minute. And each time there is another, different taste and aroma drink.

Drinking tea is advised in the morning. Ideally, in the morning, before going to school or work.

Contraindications and harm from use

Despite the wonderful taste, color and smell, as well as the obvious benefit of drinking, Chinese oolong tea has some contraindications.

It is not worth drinking:

  • pregnant women (there is a risk of provoking a miscarriage or premature birth due to the large amount of thein);
  • mothers who breastfeed;
  • people with gastrointestinal problems like gastritis and ulcers;
  • with urolithiasis.

It’s also better not to indulge in this tea at night, so as not to count elephants or sheep until the morning in a futile attempt to sleep.