Totally Oolong

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The production of top quality oolong tea is very labor-intensive. After being plucked, fresh shoots from the tea plants are spread on a flat bamboo basket and withered in sunlight for up to an hour. The leaves are then withered indoors at room temperature for six to eight hours. Once an hour the leaves are gently agitated by hand which greatly accelerates the production of flavor components. The leaves are then pan-fired for 15 minutes at high temperatures which inactivates the leaf enzymes and stops the oxidation process. Finally the leaves are rolled and dried.