Your method of brewing oolong

[kwongster]

I just wanted to know how other people brew their favorite oolongs. Everything is highly subjective due to the quality of the water, kettles, temperature, clay, glass, porcelain, flashing, and steeping times. In addition, the quality of the tea, region, how it was fired, tightly balled, and picked.

Here's my method

Choice of Oolong
Region: Taiwan
Lishan: xin jai yang (Origin tea)
Leaves: light oxidation, dark green/ young leaves, tightly balled

Components
Water: filtered with Brita pitcher (my preferred is spring)
Kettle: glass

Teapot: yixing
Style: Shui Ping - 水平
Clay: Hong Ni, Zhu Ni, Zi Ni (preferred Hong Ni/ Zhu Ni)

Method
Boil water on stove to beginning of boil.

There are different stages of boils. The traditional is shrimp eyes, crab eyes, fish eyes, string of pearls, and dragon eyes. Shrimp eyes are the tiny bubbles that stick to the surface of the pot. Crab eyes are little bigger than shrimp eyes and couple float to the top. Fish eyes are slightly bigger and more bubbles will float to the top. String of pearls is a constant stream of bubbles that will flow to the top. Dragon eyes is full boil.

I like to be to be in the 180 F - 190F or 82c - 88c . The boil looks like a small consistent stream of bubbles. Take the kettle off the stove and wait till there's no noise and bubbles (takes about 2-3 seconds). At this point the water is around 185-190. Start warming up the pot and utensils with the water and rinsing off the tray.

1 tsp = about 3g of loose oolong
Add the tea into the pot. I use about 2 and 1/2 teaspoons or 7.2- 8.4 grams for my 150 ml pot. 3 teaspoons or 9g for my 200ml.
(I've never measured the pots by pouring water into a graduated cylinder)
Basically 150ml will serve 2.5- 3 avg size tea cups/ smelling cups
200 ml will serve 4-5 tea cups/ smelling cups

Pour the water into the pot. Make the the water swirl inside the pot for even infusions. The first pour of water I like to rinse the leaves. The steep is no longer than 1.5 - 2 seconds. Longer than 5secs your gonna miss out on delicate notes in the tea. The first infusion is poured in the pitcher, pet, cups and tea pot.

Infusion times
1st: 1-2 sec
2nd: 30 sec
3rd: 35 sec
4th: 40 sec
5th infusion the tea is exhausted and you get watery notes.

2nd infusion is usually the best. The body is full. You can taste the citrus, fruity, floral, buttery notes, with a pleasant ending that stays on your tongue and back of the throat. (If you did it wrong your going to taste bitterness, vegetal notes)

3rd and 4th the top notes are mellowed out to a smooth blend of fruit, floral tastes.

5th is watery, not as defined and distinct. The leaves are fully expanded and fill the entire pot. The pour is not as smooth due to expansion of the leaves. The pot with the leaves filled with no water smells of rubber, latex, bitter, vegetal, grassy.

[drinking_teas]

I prefer about 200F for green oolongs, boiling otherwise. I also make them a bit weaker (3-4g depending on my mood), especially if they're very green. If it's dark oolong I ramp up the ratio and temperature. I also use a gaiwan, as I don't have a Yixing dedicated to green oolongs (and probably won't get one unless I can find a good deal).

I usually give rolled oolongs 45s-1m first infusion to open them up.

"Grandpa" brewing also works nicely.

I'm going to a sort of tea tasting today, I'll record the method we use for Taiwanese oolongs.

[Poseidon]

Choice of Oolong: Mountain Tea's Oriental Beauty Cake
Region: Taiwan
Cultivar: QingXinDaPan
Leaves: Beautiful mix of white to dark brown. 60% oxidation. After infusions the leaves turn a yellow-red color.

Components
Water: Tap or spring water when I purchase it.
Kettle: glass (electric)

Teapot: Porcelain 3oz
Style: Shui Ping - 水平
Clay:N/A

Method
-Boil water and wait until it stops rumbling.
-4oz of tea in the 3oz pot.
-first infusion is about 10 sec.
-2-10 steeps are starting at 15 adding 5 sec for each infusion

rsz_20140429_150729.jpg (104.99 KiB) Viewed 3370 times

I love oriental beauty.

[BW85]

Method
-Boil water and wait until it stops rumbling.
-4oz of tea in the 3oz pot.
-first infusion is about 10 sec.
-2-10 steeps are starting at 15 adding 5 sec for each infusion



I love oriental beauty.

I love magic tricks and would love to see that one performed!

I kid, I kid

[ABx]

You're generally not going to get the full profile if you don't use boiling water. There are very few wulong that can't take it.

[drinking_teas]

You're generally not going to get the full profile if you don't use boiling water. There are very few wulong that can't take it.

I generally agree, but I think a slightly lower temperature helps, especially with the cheaper/staler green oolongs. Boiling is also fine, and brings out more flavor, which helps in most cases.

Oxidized/roasted is always boiling for me

[Poseidon]

You're generally not going to get the full profile if you don't use boiling water. There are very few wulong that can't take it.

I generally agree, but I think a slightly lower temperature helps, especially with the cheaper/staler green oolongs. Boiling is also fine, and brings out more flavor, which helps in most cases.

Oxidized/roasted is always boiling for me

This is my thinking as well. Boiling for the dark stuff, 190-200 for the green oolong. I like my tea hot!

[bonescwa]

Even very green high mountain should be with boiling IMO. If it gets bitter (good tea won't with reasonable treatment), just decrease steep time

[ABx]

You're generally not going to get the full profile if you don't use boiling water. There are very few wulong that can't take it.

I generally agree, but I think a slightly lower temperature helps, especially with the cheaper/staler green oolongs. Boiling is also fine, and brings out more flavor, which helps in most cases.

Oxidized/roasted is always boiling for me

Cooler water brings out the aroma (at least the high notes) at the expense of just about everything else. It can smell pleasant, but you'll miss out on the stuff that actually makes it good.

Stale tea is good for cold brewing, however.

[drinking_teas]

You're generally not going to get the full profile if you don't use boiling water. There are very few wulong that can't take it.

I generally agree, but I think a slightly lower temperature helps, especially with the cheaper/staler green oolongs. Boiling is also fine, and brings out more flavor, which helps in most cases.

Oxidized/roasted is always boiling for me

Cooler water brings out the aroma (at least the high notes) at the expense of just about everything else. It can smell pleasant, but you'll miss out on the stuff that actually makes it good.

Stale tea is good for cold brewing, however.

I've noticed that off-boiling water doesn't bring out the more (imo weird/unpleasant) vegetal flavors that seem to show up in some oolongs.

I'll run some tests next time I open a bag of high-mountain oolong and report back.

[chrl42]

I use TGY a full-boil, Yancha a middle-boil and Gaoshan a low-boil. I noticed some Gaoshan can turn out bitter if a temperature is too high or used leaves are too many..funny it doesn't happen with TGY...but that's just my case

[kyarazen]

its depends on how you dispense it! super intense full boil, when dispensed as a thin stream from a height in a circular manner around the rim of the pot, you get roughly 92 degrees celsius hitting the leaves.

if you dispense it in thick stream from a low height directly into the middle of the pile of tea leaves in the pot.. the leaves are hit with 98 degrees celsius water.

once water goes into the pot.. the system starts cooling off from there, a fast cooling system.. the tea rounds up quite nicely. if the system maintains heat for very long, with longer steeps the leaves are "cooked".

spring harvest teas can have more vegetal notes than autumn harvest ones, both respond to intense heat differently due to their lignin content.

I've noticed that off-boiling water doesn't bring out the more (imo weird/unpleasant) vegetal flavors that seem to show up in some oolongs.

I'll run some tests next time I open a bag of high-mountain oolong and report back.

[steanze]

Good point kyarazen

[Bok]

Choice of Oolong
Region: Taiwan
Lishan: xin jai yang (Origin tea)
Leaves: light oxidation, dark green/ young leaves, tightly balled

5th infusion the tea is exhausted and you get watery notes.

Really? Only five infusions? Most of the Lishan I had so far (unless they were old) take at least six with good taste until after it waters out.

[ABx]

once water goes into the pot.. the system starts cooling off from there, a fast cooling system.. the tea rounds up quite nicely. if the system maintains heat for very long, with longer steeps the leaves are "cooked".

spring harvest teas can have more vegetal notes than autumn harvest ones, both respond to intense heat differently due to their lignin content.

If that was true, then brewing in yixing would ruin the tea.

And yes, too much leaf can make it bitter, unbalanced, kill hui gan, etc.; the leaf should be able to open fully, and preferably at the same time (the latter being why you don't just pour water in in one spot).

Generally speaking, the only wulong that I don't try to keep the temp as high as possible is dancong. Rolled teas in particular do well with high temps and a fast pour.

I've noticed that off-boiling water doesn't bring out the more (imo weird/unpleasant) vegetal flavors that seem to show up in some oolongs.

Don't forget that leaf needs to acclimate after shipping. Even moreso if it came in a vacuum pack. Put the leaf into a tin/jar, and you'll notice that somewhere around the third or fourth time you use it, it will really open up.

Even if it's not vacuum packed, it will still need to acclimate, though (vacuum packed teas are just affected more, although some of the most affected I've had weren't vacuum packed). I usually pour the leaf into a tin, then open and shake (to exchange the air) every day or two, but even then some may take a while longer. Until then you'll get off flavors, bitterness, thin, and just generally very unbalanced.

Even after acclimating, you'll want to set the leaf out to breathe for a couple of days before using. The results can be somewhat dramatic for some teas (especially with any roast, which itself can take some months or years to settle down).

Of course there's also the possibility that you've just got a crappy tea, and/or just need more experience brewing. It's even possible that you just need a harder or softer water.