Finally catching on in the Western world, wu yi and wu long tea have been drunk for centuries in China and other Asian regions. Your answer to beautiful skin may be in this wonderfully flavored, relaxing tea. Tea has the ability to fight premature aging and improve overall health.

Though both wu long and wu yi tea have become popular for both weight loss and age fighting, some proponents would have you believe that one is better than the other. Is this true? Let us look at the background on both teas.

Tea is born from Camellia sinensis, but then processed in different ways after harvest. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea and black tea are the main types of tea.

Unfermented teas are green tea and white tea. White tealeaves are harvested before the bud opens making it a bit milder than green tea, but both teas are relatively grassy tasting and a bit bitter. The tea we are most familiar with is black tea which is flavorful, but the leaves are highly fermented and thus, not as nutritious as green tea or white tea.

Oolong seems to be the answer to this dilemma. You do not have to sacrifice flavor or age-fighting capability with oolong tea because it is fermented for a short time to produce a better flavor and aroma, but not long enough to destroy its nutritional value. Both wu long and wu yi teas are oolong teas, but wu long is harvested during the first plant cycle.

Tea connoisseurs tend to believe that because of this, wu long tea is of higher quality and it is usually priced higher than wu yi tea. Wu yi tea, though, has the same health benefits and is just as capable of fighting aging as wu long tea. It is usually less expensive, and the flavor and aroma differences are so subtle that I personally feel that it is not worth the extra dollars to buy wu long tea versus wu yi tea. Both teas will help me maintain my youthful skin!

In a way, choosing between wu yi and wu long tea is like choosing between a $20 bottle of red wine and a $50 bottle. Will the $50 be so good that it is worth the extra $30? Probably not. Personally, I would rather save the money by buying wu yi tea because the taste differences are not that remarkable. At the same time, you are not likely to find wu yi tea next to the cheap, econo-sized teas at the market. These could be compared to the $5 bottles of Shiraz.

Both wu yi and wu long teas contain the highly effective antioxidants capable of helping you maintain youthful skin! This is because of their ability to fight free radicals and the damage they incur on your skin and overall health. In regard to your skin, these antioxidants can stave off wrinkles and improve the tone of your skin because they fight the free radicals that cause wrinkled, sagging, fragile skin.

Wu yi tea is also important for the regeneration of skin cells. Enjoying a mug of wu yi tea can calm your body.