What is Baozhong Tea? | Flavor, Benefits, and Where to Buy Baozhong
Baozhong tea is a rare tea mainly grown in Taiwan. It's in between green tea and oolong tea in flavor and health benefits. Baozhong tea is loved for its creamy green melon taste and aroma that is refreshing and light. Here's everything you need to know about baozhong tea and its taste, health benefits, and more.
What is baozhong tea?
Baozhong tea is a Taiwanese oolong known for its long and twisted leaves. In Chinese, ‘baozhong’ literally translates to ‘the wrapped kind’, referring to the wrapping of tea leaves in paper during the drying stage of processing the tea. Baozhong is called a ‘green oolong tea’ because it’s a less oxidized oolong tea that has characteristics of both green tea and oolong tea. Since it is considered a lighter tea, it is perfect to sip on daily.
What types of baozhong tea are there?
Baozhong tea is produced in Fujian, China, and New Taipei, Taiwan. Since baozhong tea is only produced in a few places, there is less variety compared to other tea types like oolong or black tea. Wenshan Baozhong tea is a popular type of baozhong tea grown in Wenshan, Taiwan.
How does baozhong tea taste?
The flavor of baozhong tea is a unique combination of green tea and oolong tea. Baozhong tea has light green, floral notes and the taste of creamy green melon. Since it is lightly oxidized, it is not bitter and it has the distinctive floral aroma and sweetness of oolong tea. Despite being a true tea, baozhong tea is also called a ‘flower tea’ because of its rich, floral fragrance.
Does baozhong tea have caffeine?
Baozhong tea is a type of oolong tea so it naturally contains caffeine. An 8 oz cup of baozhong tea typically has 20-30 mg of caffeine, which is similar to green tea but less than oolong tea. Oolong tea typically has 30-40 mg of caffeine in an 8 oz cup. But with all true tea, the method of growing, harvesting, and producing the tea will affect the caffeine content. Also, caffeine content in a cup of tea can be adjusted by controlling the steeping time. Learn about the caffeine in tea vs. coffee.
What are the health benefits of baozhong tea?
Baozhong tea contains amino acids, chlorophyll, catechins, and other compounds which may help strengthen the immune system, strengthen bones and teeth, and lower the risk of diseases that are associated with inflammation. Learn more about the health benefits of baozhong tea.
Are there any baozhong tea side effects?
There aren’t any severe side effects from drinking Baozhong tea. However, consuming too much baozhong tea could possibly cause side effects due to the caffeine content such as irregular heartbeat, headache, nervousness, and sleep problems.
Health benefits of baozhong tea vs black tea
Baozhong tea is in between green tea and oolong tea. As a result, baozhong tea shares many health benefits of green tea and oolong tea. When compared to black tea, the main difference is the level of caffeine. In an 8 oz cup of tea, black tea has about 50 mg of caffeine whereas baozhong tea has 20-30 mg. Green tea and oolong tea are both known to help weight loss and improve the immune system so these health benefits apply to baozhong tea too. Black tea can also help improve the immune system, but it’s most well known for improving focus, reducing cholesterol, and lowering blood pressure.
Where can you buy the best baozhong tea?
Taiwanese baozhong tea is not widely sold in the US as it is not as well known as other true tea types. When purchasing the best baozhong tea, it’s important to check the source and quality of the tea. Us Two Tea’s baozhong tea is directly sourced from family farms in Taiwan that process the baozhong tea leaves with great care and integrity. They do not use any chemical pesticides and the tea leaves are twisted and dried on-site. This high quality, whole loose leaf baozhong tea is packaged in biodegradable corn fiber tea sachets that can each be steeped up to three times.