Wu Long Tea is Oolong tea - these are simply two different ways of writing the same Chinese words in English.

Oolong Tea (Wu Long) is a category of tea. It is more or less equivalent to the term 'Red Wine.' There are many different red wines. Similarly, there are many different Oolong teas. Oolong(Wu Long) is defined by its processing which includes: picking tea leaves, withering, bruising the leaf to encourage partial oxidation, firing, rolling/shaping and drying. The semi-oxidation, and repeated rolling and firing is what differentiates Oolong from the other categories of tea which include: white, yellow green, black and puerh teas.

Some of the websites that suggest that the Oolong tea which they sell can offer uniquely beneficial qualities say that their tea comes from 'Mount Wuyi Shan'. They fail to name the type of tea bush from which their tea was made, the exact place in Wuyi where it was grown or indeed whether it is a blend of different Wuyi teas. If the fact that their tea comes from Wuyi alone, is enough to guarantee these so-called 'miraculous' effects on weight loss, consumers could buy any Wuyi Oolong tea of which there are countless types, varieties and price points (from approximately £1/kg to £1000 per kg).

It is important to realise that Wuyi is a large Oolong(Wu Long) tea producing area with many micro-regions. There are many types and qualities of Oolong produced in the Wuyi Shan area and to say that a particular tea comes from this region is equivalent to saying that a particular bottle of wine is produced in Bordeaux - the term merely suggests where the tea comes from and does not necessarily imply that the tea is of high quality or that it has unique and distinctive health benefits.

The most famous types of Oolong from Wuyi are:

• Da Hong Pao - Big Red Robe or as we call it, Great Red Cloak
• Bai Ji Guan - White Cockscomb
• Mao Xie - Hairy Crab
• Shui Jin Gui - Golden Water Turtle
• Shui Xian - Water Sprite or sometimes called Narcissus
• Rou Gui - Cinnamon or Cassia (cinnamon is just the name - the tea does not have any relationship to the spice we know as cinnamon)
• Tie Luo Han - Iron Arhat
Other famous oolong teas include:
• Tieguanyin (Iron Kuan Yin / Iron Goddess of Compassion / Iron Buddha) from Anxi in Fujian Province, China
• Huang Jin Gui - Yellow Gold oolong, produced in Fujian in many regions including Anxi and its surrounding areas and Wuyi.
• Feng Huang Dan Cong - Phoenix Teas from Mountains including Wu Dong in Guangdong Province.
• Wenshan Boazhong from Wenshan in Taiwan
• Dong Ding, Alishan, Lishan, San Li Shi - all Wu Long teas from Taiwan

We have seen no evidence to suggest that any one of these teas or and blends of these Wu Long teas have greater slimming effects or heath properties than any other. We have also not seen any evidence to suggest that the Wu Long teas from Wuyi have a stronger effect on slimming than Wu Long teas from any other region.

We believe that consumers should be informed of the name of the tea, the region in which it was grown and processed, and details of its taste and characteristics. Without these pieces of information it is difficult for consumers to make an informed choice or to become more aware of various types and varieties of tea available to them - perhaps this should be a basic requirement for any tea retailer on the internet or in shops.

Some websites cite testimonials from clients but these do not represent large scale scientific studies and as a result it is impossible to say that it was the tea alone that helped them loose weight. For that reason we would suggest that Wu Long (Oolong) may aid slimming as part of a healthy lifestyle and is not a 'cure' in itself. It is essential to consider all the dietary and environmental factors that contribute to obesity and in doing so rely on the advice of a qualified doctor.

The following research indicates that tea may have a beneficial effect on weight loss:

Green tea appears to speed up calorie burning, including fat calorie burning, according to researchers from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. The study authors report that, compared with placebo, treatment with green tea was associated with a "significant increase" (+4%) in daily energy expenditure. They believe that the caffeine interacts with the flavonoids in tea to alter the body's use of norepinephrine, a chemical transmitter in the nervous system, and increase the rate of calorie burning (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 1999).

Thirty-eight men were assigned to one of two groups, and were asked to drink a bottle of oolong tea daily, containing either 22mg or 690mg of catechins. After twelve weeks the high catechin group showed a significant reduction in body mass index, waist circumference and body-fat mass compared with the low dose group. (Am J Clin Nutr 2005; 81: 122-9).

By substituting tea for other types of high calorie drinks, consumers will reduce the number of calories they consume on a daily basis. In addition tea offers a rich source of antioxidants which can help protect the body from the harmful effects of free-radicals.

Some of our customers have also reported that when they start to drink tea without milk or sugar, their cravings and taste has improved for the better - they no longer crave sweet, high calorie drinks and foods.

In summary, Oolong (Wu Long) may have excellent health benefits, but we cannot see any reason to believe that one type of Oolong has stronger health benefits than others; we have not seen any evidence ot sugegst it can be relied upon as a 'miracle cure' for obesity - there is no measurable and rigorous scientific proof to support the claim. For more information on the health benefits of teas please take a look at our Tea and Health section as well as the Tea Council's website.