Tea Seed Oil

A Drop of Oil from Our Oolong Tea Garden

Every autumn, our tea trees bear seeds. Tea farmers traditionally pressed this oil for their own families and rarely sold it. Each tree yields only a handful of seeds, and those seeds yield even less oil. This bottle is truly a year's worth of our tea garden's by-product.

The camellia oil commonly found on the market comes from oil-tea trees grown specifically for oil. Our Oolong Tea Seed Oil comes from the very tea trees we use to make oolong tea. Different trees mean a different flavor and a different composition.

Our Tea Garden and Our Story

These seeds come from Formosa Phoenix Tea Farm, from the same tea trees we harvest for our oolong tea.

Our garden is managed in a free-growing, natural way. We don't push our trees for maximum leaf yield, so they are free to flower and set seed. When the seeds ripen and fall in autumn, we gather them by hand and dry them in the sun, then bring them to our partner oil mill for pressing.

When our tea master was young, he worked in the city and ate out for almost every meal, where nearly everything was cooked in refined oil. After returning to the tea garden, he remembered the bottle of tea seed oil his family used when he was a child, with an aroma he could never find anywhere else. We believe everyday cooking oils should be varied, so we began sharing our traditionally pressed tea seed oil with everyone.

Flavor and Process

Oolong Tea Seed Oil has a gentle aroma, with light nutty notes and a toasty fragrance reminiscent of roasted flour. It won't overpower a dish the way sesame oil can, yet it has far more character than flavorless refined oils.

How it's made

1. Ripe tea seeds are gathered by hand in autumn
2. Sun-dried and shelled
3. Ground and roasted
4. Pressed into oil
5. Settled, filtered, and bottled

No chemical solvents are used, and the oil is never bleached or deodorized, so it keeps the natural flavor of the tea seeds.

Composition

The fatty acids in Oolong Tea Seed Oil are mainly oleic acid (Omega-9) and linoleic acid (Omega-6), with a small amount of Omega-3. About 80% of its fatty acids are unsaturated. Its oleic acid content is higher than that of soybean oil and other common vegetable oils.

About Omega-3, 6 and 9

Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 are all types of fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential fatty acids: the body cannot make them, so they must come from food. Omega-9 (oleic acid) is the main fatty acid in olive oil and camellia oil. A balanced diet includes oils from a variety of sources.

How to Enjoy It

Oolong Tea Seed Oil is best for low- to medium-heat cooking and for drizzling, which brings out its aroma.

Everyday cooking

• Tea seed oil noodles: Cook thin wheat noodles (misua), then toss with a spoonful of tea seed oil, a little soy sauce and shredded ginger.
• Fried eggs and stir-fried greens: Medium-low heat is all you need. The aroma is noticeably richer than ordinary vegetable oil.
• Blanched greens and cold dishes: Drizzle over just before serving, in place of lard or sesame oil.
• Tea seed oil chicken soup: Use it instead of sesame oil in Taiwanese sesame oil chicken for a milder flavor.
• Also great for dipping bread, dressing salads, or finishing pasta.

FAQ

Is Oolong Tea Seed Oil the same as camellia oil?

No. Camellia oil comes from oil-tea trees (Camellia oleifera and related species) grown specifically for oil. Oolong Tea Seed Oil comes from the tea trees used to make oolong tea. Camellia oil is higher in oleic acid and lighter in flavor, while Oolong Tea Seed Oil has a nutty, roasted-flour aroma and is produced in much smaller quantities.

Can I use it for high-heat stir-frying or deep-frying?

We recommend it mainly for medium-heat pan-frying, cold dishes and drizzling, which best preserve its aroma.

Is it suitable for children and older adults?

Yes. It is an ordinary edible oil and can be used for everyday cooking.

Why is it available only in limited quantities?

Tea seeds ripen and are harvested once a year in autumn and winter, so supply is limited. We vacuum-store the sun-dried seeds and press a small batch each month, so every bottle is freshly pressed.