What’s the difference between oolong tea and an English Breakfast tea? Quite a bit.
English Breakfast tea is a blend of strong black teas featuring a full-bodied, robust flavor. While black tea is fully oxidized, oolong tea is semi-oxidized. The differences in oxidation lead to different flavors and aromas. Oolong tea has a lighter taste with hints of floral flavors.
So, should you go with oolong tea or English Breakfast tea? The answer comes down to your preferences. Here’s what you need to know!
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea gives you a balanced flavor. It’s more robust compared to green tea and a little lighter compared to black tea. It’s a top pick for those who want the best of both worlds.
Depending on the variety, oolong tea may have a fruity, floral taste. Oolong is also a broad category that covers a wide range of teas. No matter your preferences, there’s an oolong tea for you!
English Breakfast
English Breakfast is a blend typically made from several black teas. It’s got a distinct, full-bodied flavor. Thanks to the robustness of the tea, it’s perfect for adding milk and sugar. Of course, it’s also great on its own!
Oolong Tea vs. English Breakfast
There’s much more to explore to fully understand the differences and similarities between these two varieties of tea. Keep reading for our complete comparison of oolong tea vs English Breakfast.
Origin and Cultivation
Oolong and English Breakfast come from the Camellia sinensis plant but may be cultivated in different regions. Oolong tea is mostly harvested in southern China.
It was first cultivated and prepared around the Phoenix Mountain in Fujian, China. Many of the top brands of oolong tea still come from this region. It’s also grown in Taiwan.
Oolong tea, like all true tea products, comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves can be cultivated for black, green, white, or oolong tea, depending on the level of oxidation of the tea leaves
.
Black tea is fully oxidized, green tea is minimally oxidized, and oolong tea is somewhere in the middle. This balance is part of the reason we love oolong tea.
Oolong tea typically has oxidation levels of 20% to 80%.
Most English Breakfast tea blends are made with Assam, Ceylon, Keemun, and Kenyan teas. These black teas have oxidation levels of 80% to 100%.
Along with southern China, Assam in India is one of the only places with native tea plants. Ceylon tea comes from Sri Lanka, while Kenyan tea comes from Kenya. Keemun tea is produced in southern China.
The differences in origin and cultivation lead to differences in taste, aroma, caffeine, and more. Let’s keep exploring.
Taste and Aroma
As the name suggests, English Breakfast tea is often served during breakfast. It’s a hearty, full-bodied tea.
The robust flavor is perfect for mixing with milk, sugar, and other ingredients to suit your tastes.
You’ll also notice its rich, malty aroma. Depending on the specific blend and brand, you may also notice hints of sweetness. The aroma becomes more pronounced during the steeping process.
The taste and aroma of oolong tea can vary significantly from one brand to the next, due to the variety of oxidation levels in this category.
A lightly oxidized oolong tea is likely to have more of a fruity taste. Some may even describe it as grassy. The taste of a heavily oxidized oolong tea may be closer to that of the English Breakfast tea.
However, most blends of oolong tea have a pronounced floral taste and aroma. You may notice hints of jasmine or orchid. Some of the more heavily roasted oolongs may also have a roasted or slightly toasted aroma.
As oolong tea isn’t completely oxidized, the taste and aroma are a little more refined compared to English Breakfast tea. Most blends of oolongs have more of a variety of flavors and flowery and fruity notes compared to darker teas.
Keep in mind that the taste and aroma can vary depending on the blend, processing method, and brewing techniques.
Caffeine
When it comes to caffeine in tea, the darker the better. English Breakfast tea has about 40 to 60 mg of caffeine per cup. Oolongs typically have about 30 to 50 mg of caffeine per cup.
Some of the darker oolongs are likely to have a little more caffeine compared to the lighter ones.
For comparison, the typical cup of coffee has 80 to 100 mg of caffeine per serving.
Now, if you want to get the most caffeine out of your tea, you need to make sure that you steep it long enough. Not brewing the tea long enough makes it lighter, which means that you get less flavor and less caffeine.
Health Benefits
Both English Breakfast tea and oolong tea are great sources of antioxidants. The antioxidants are called tea polyphenols and include thearubigins, theaflavins, and EGCG.
Antioxidants in English Breakfast tea and oolong tea may help lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
The antioxidants also include flavonoids, which are linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Having a few cups of either type of tea may protect your heart.
English Breakfast tea and oolongs also have L-theanine, which is an amino acid linked to relaxation. When consumed with caffeine, L-theanine may boost your alertness.
To put it simply, English Breakfast tea and oolong tea both contain antioxidants and other compounds that may aid your overall health.
Both options also contain less caffeine compared to coffee, which can help you avoid excessive caffeine consumption. If you tend to get jittery after a couple of cups of coffee, switching to either of these two types of tea could help.
Yet, oolongs tend to have a little bit less caffeine compared to strong English Breakfast teas. If you want to cut back on caffeine even further, I’d recommend a light oolong tea.
Both types of tea may also help with weight loss. Drinking tea may help boost your metabolism and improve gut health, which can make it easier to drop fat.
Another potential weight loss benefit is the inclusion of antioxidants. Some of the antioxidants found in tea may increase fat oxidation and increase the number of calories that you burn at rest.
Brewing Techniques
You can brew English Breakfast tea or oolong tea using the standard tea-brewing method, which involves steeping fresh leaves or tea bags in hot water.
However, there are some differences you need to consider. You need to pay attention to water temperature and the use of extra ingredients.
English Breakfast tea and oolong tea brew best at different water temperatures. You typically brew darker teas with boiling water. Oolongs are much more sensitive to hot temperatures.
Using boiling water could burn the leaves. This creates a bitter taste that I’m sure you won’t enjoy.
So, if you want to brew the perfect cup of oolong tea, pay attention to the water temperature. The ideal temperature range is about 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
When preparing water for oolong tea, you want the water to be just below the boiling point – 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a food thermometer, heat the water until it’s just about boiling and remove from the heat. Allow it to cool for just a few minutes to reach the right temperature.
After heating the water, pour a small amount into your teapot. Swirl the water around and pour it out to preheat the pot. This is especially important with porcelain and ceramic pots. Preheating decreases the risk of cracking.
Place one teaspoon of loose tea leaves or one tea bag per eight ounces of water. If you prefer strong tea, you may use up to two teaspoons or two tea bags per cup.
Slowly pour the hot water over the leaves or tea bags. You need to make sure that the tea is fully submerged in the hot water.
Let the tea steep for three to five minutes. This is the average steeping time for most varieties of tea. You can adjust it to suit your tastes.
However, if you truly want to experience all the detailed flavors of oolong tea, I recommend using a Gongfu tea set. This involves a shorter steeping time and multiple infusions.
After steeping the tea, strain the leaves or pour the tea through a strainer. You can now add any flavorings that you want. This is another area where English Breakfast tea and oolong tea have major differences.
The full-bodied flavor of English Breakfast works well with traditional additions, such as milk and sugar. The lighter, more nuanced taste of oolongs doesn’t work as well with certain ingredients.
People tend to drink oolong tea on its own. This lets them enjoy the unique flavors of the tea. Yet, if you must add ingredients, I’d go with a small amount of honey or lemon.
Cost and Convenience
If you’re buying tea based on cost and convenience, you’ll likely want to go with English Breakfast tea. Almost every major tea manufacturer has their own blend. You can find it just about everywhere, which means you can choose from a wide range of cheaper options.
Despite being a broad category of tea, oolong tea is harder to find. You may not have a lot of options at your local stores, requiring you to shop online. As it’s not as common as English Breakfast, it can also cost a little more.
Oolong tea also takes longer to harvest and prepare, which adds to the cost. While you’ll likely end up paying a little more for oolong tea compared to an English Breakfast of the same quality, you get a different tea-drinking experience.
Oolongs cost more and are harder to find locally, but they offer a more complex flavor.
Cultural Relevance
English Breakfast tea is connected to the history of tea drinking in England. The term “English Breakfast tea” was introduced in 1834. The story goes that a British immigrant living in New York City started selling a blend of teas featuring Indian and Chinese teas.
The original English Breakfast tea was a hit. By the end of the century, tea companies in England were producing their own blends.
English Breakfast tea took off in popularity due to its robust taste. People wanted a bold, malty tea to pair with the traditional English breakfast.
Oolong tea also has its own cultural relevance, but in China instead of England. It originated in ancient China during the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1368 to 1644.
Oolongs were originally produced for royalty. They also went by a different name – black dragon tea, which sounds pretty cool.
Black dragon is “wu long” in Mandarin. Over time, the spelling changed – oolong.
It remained a relatively obscure tea until the 19th century. Around the time tea drinkers were introduced to English breakfast tea, oolong tea was introduced to Taiwan. Production took off, allowing people around the globe to enjoy the unique flavor of oolong tea.
Tea is also a big part of cultural norms in both England and China. Serving and drinking tea is a ceremonial and social function in both countries – and many other parts of the world.
Conclusion
You’ve now got more insight into the differences between oolong tea and English Breakfast tea. The question remains – which one should you drink? The answer simply depends on your tastes.
English Breakfast tea is full-bodied and dark, while oolong tea is often aromatic with a floral flavor.
Oolong tea and English Breakfast tea also have a few similarities. Both teas include antioxidants and other compounds that may promote better health and weight loss. Both options are also easy to brew and require a steeping time of about three to five minutes.
The main differences boil down to flavors, aroma, and heat tolerance. Oolong leaves burn easily in boiling water, while black tea is often brewed with boiling water.
Basically, if you like a dark, robust tea, you’ll likely prefer English Breakfast tea. You can mix in a little milk and sugar to make a filling morning treat.
If you prefer a lighter tea, you’re likely to enjoy some of the oolong blends. Oolongs offer a refined flavor with fruity and floral notes. Yet, oolong isn’t as florally or grassy as most green teas, which feature little to no oxidation.