How to brew Oolong tea
For many tea drinkers in the West, the word "Oolong" is unfamiliar. No surprise, it only accounts for 2% of tea production and consumption in the world and has only started to emerge on Western teashop shelves in recent years. In comparison to green and black tea, Oolong has a vast array of interesting flavour complexities to entertain a tea lover's palate.
Oolong, meaning "Black dragon tea", is a semi oxidized tea, a category of tea that stands between a green and a black tea. Out of one single batch of leaves, Oolong can be processed to reveal a very wide range of flavours, anything from creamy honeyed florals to fruity to chocolatey to roasted and nutty notes. Some Oolong can also be sought out for their unique cinnamon flavours while others for their thirst quenching or lingering after taste. And it is at the hands of a skilled experienced tea-maker that these flavours can be developed, beginning with the time of harvest to the final roasting. But it is also in the hands of the tea brewer that these exquisite flavours can be properly extracted to be enjoyed in your cup
HOW TO BREW OOLONG
There are only guidelines to brewing tea, no hard rules and no one perfect way. You can continuously adapt your brewing parameters to suit your taste. Teapot/Western style and Gaiwan/Asian style are two main styles of brewing.
Teapot/Western style is the most common brewing style in the West using a low tea leaves ratio to a high water ratio:
2 tsp (approx. 2.5g) tea leaves
1 cup (250ml) water
95 C (203 F)
2-3 minutes
yields 1-2 steepings.
Gaiwan/Asian brewing style uses high tea leaves ratio to low water ratio:
4-6 tsp (approx. 4-6g) tea leaves
1/2 cup (100-150ml) water
95C (203 F)
20 seconds repeat 5-6 times
yields 5-6 steepings.
Gaiwan/Asian brewing style is also referred as Gong fu Cha brewing style meanings "making tea with skill".
Gaiwan/Asian style brewing is the preferred way to brew oolong by tea aficionados.
Why?
Gaiwan/Asian style brewing is more engaging and a more in-depth way to understand oolongs. As it steeps, you can appreciate the shape of the leaves changing and expanding, watch how the liquor colour goes from light to dark, then back to light again towards the end of your brewing session. And it is the best brewing method to discern between the subtle changes in flavours and texture from one steep to the next.
If you have been drinking green or black tea or scented tea like earl grey and are interested in trying a tea where its flavours come directly from nature and the skills of a tea-maker then Oolong may be a new tea to explore and add to your repertoire.
Experiment with your brewing style, play around and if you are downtown Vernon, come and visit our tea bar. We'll be happy to serve you and answer any questions about tea.