The Way of Tea & Culture
How to Brew Oolong Tea Properly (An A–Z Guide)
Temperature, ratio, timing and multiple infusions — the secrets to unfurling every Oolong's orchid aroma and silky sweetness.
Oolong is the tea of balance — semi-oxidised, standing between green and black tea. Brewed well, a single pot opens dozens of layers of aroma across its infusions. Here is how to brew Oolong properly, in the gongfu way.
Prepare your tools
You need a small pot (zisha clay or porcelain, 100–150ml), a fairness pitcher, a few small cups, and freshly boiled clean water. A small pot lets you control steeping time — the key to gongfu brewing.
Temperature and tea ratio
Oolong likes hot water, 90–95°C. A good ratio is about 5g of tea per 120ml (filling roughly a third of the pot for rolled Oolong, as the leaves expand). Water too cool won't release the aroma; an overly fierce boil can turn it harsh.
The gongfu steps
- Rinse pot and cups with hot water to warm the tools.
- Add the tea, pour water over it and discard at once (a rinse) to wake the leaf and wash off dust.
- Pour water, steep the first infusion 20–30 seconds, decant fully into the pitcher, then share into cups.
- Lengthen each later infusion by 5–10 seconds.
How many infusions?
Good Oolong gives 6–8 infusions, some up to 10. Each has its face: the first is aromatic, the middle fullest in body, the last clear and sweet. Don't discard the leaf too soon.
Common mistakes
Too little tea gives a thin cup; over-steeping turns it bitter; cool water mutes the aroma. And above all: brewing in a hurry. Oolong rewards the unhurried.
Tips to elevate the cup
Smell the lid and the empty cup after each round to catch the full range of aroma. Drink while still warm. And let the cup be a true pause — that is the spirit of tea.
Brewing Oolong is not hard — just be slow enough to listen to the leaf.
