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Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
by AndreiC
The best way to brew an oolong tea is KungFu style:
Rinse the teaware with hot water.
Fill the teapot or gaiwan 1/2 full with leaves.
Add hot water to rinse the leaves and discard the water.
Add hot water again and steep for just 5 seconds before serving.
For the second brew increase the steeping time to 8 seconds.
For the third brew increase the steeping time to 15 seconds.
You can adjust the steeping time after first steep according to your preferences, if you like it a little stronger steep it a little longer.
Mount Alishan is a great region for tea.
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:19 pm
by LeoFox
AndreiC wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
The best way to brew an oolong tea is KungFu style:
Rinse the teaware with hot water.
Fill the teapot or gaiwan 1/2 full with leaves.
Add hot water to rinse the leaves and discard the water.
Add hot water again and steep for just 5 seconds before serving.
For the second brew increase the steeping time to 8 seconds.
For the third brew increase the steeping time to 15 seconds.
You can adjust the steeping time after first steep according to your preferences, if you like it a little stronger steep it a little longer.
Mount Alishan is a great region for tea.
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
You are a vendor pushing your tea? Those parameters make almost no sense with ball rolled oolong
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 5:02 pm
by AndreiC
I am pushing my tea. This brewing style is suitable for any kind of oolong. This is the way a tea master taught me and I've been practicing it for years and always got the best out of my tea, the timing might vary but the technique is right.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 7:32 pm
by Bok
Always be wary if anyone is telling you this way or that tea is "the best". It all depends and there is not "the" way to do things...
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 7:34 pm
by Bok
LeoFox wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:19 pm
Those parameters make almost no sense with ball rolled oolong
Agreed, rolled oolong certainly benefits from a longer first infusion to let the balls slowly open (unless one rinses, but good tea doesn't need a rinse).
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:47 pm
by pedant
AndreiC wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
please don't self-promote outside of your vendor thread. see the
rules for more info. ty
i thought your brewing advice sounded reasonable but it totally depends on the tea. but filling a gaiwan up half way with rolled leaf sounds like a ton of leaf, heh
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:05 am
by debunix
filling a brewing vessel halfway full of tightly rolled oolong tea would make a nice demonstration of the power of absorption to expand until the leaves push the lid aside and make their escape over the top
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:09 am
by AndreiC
pedant wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:47 pm
AndreiC wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
please don't self-promote outside of your vendor thread. see the
rules for more info. ty
i thought your brewing advice sounded reasonable but it totally depends on the tea. but filling a gaiwan up half way with rolled leaf sounds like a ton of leaf, heh
True, half of gaiwan of rolled leaf is too much, I usually put enough just to cover the bottom of the gaiwan. Oolong that doesn't expand, like Da Hong Pao, requires more leaf, not necessary half a gaiwan but that depends on the quality of the tea.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:16 am
by AndreiC
LeoFox wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:19 pm
AndreiC wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
The best way to brew an oolong tea is KungFu style:
Rinse the teaware with hot water.
Fill the teapot or gaiwan 1/2 full with leaves.
Add hot water to rinse the leaves and discard the water.
Add hot water again and steep for just 5 seconds before serving.
For the second brew increase the steeping time to 8 seconds.
For the third brew increase the steeping time to 15 seconds.
You can adjust the steeping time after first steep according to your preferences, if you like it a little stronger steep it a little longer.
Mount Alishan is a great region for tea.
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
You are a vendor pushing your tea? Those parameters make almost no sense with ball rolled oolong
I read through the chat and I can see that you suggested the same technique of brewing
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:22 pm
by LeoFox
AndreiC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:16 am
LeoFox wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:19 pm
AndreiC wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:24 pm
The best way to brew an oolong tea is KungFu style:
Rinse the teaware with hot water.
Fill the teapot or gaiwan 1/2 full with leaves.
Add hot water to rinse the leaves and discard the water.
Add hot water again and steep for just 5 seconds before serving.
For the second brew increase the steeping time to 8 seconds.
For the third brew increase the steeping time to 15 seconds.
You can adjust the steeping time after first steep according to your preferences, if you like it a little stronger steep it a little longer.
Mount Alishan is a great region for tea.
Check out the Tie Guan Yin oolong too, its an amazing tea
You are a vendor pushing your tea? Those parameters make almost no sense with ball rolled oolong
I read through the chat and I can see that you suggested the same technique of brewing
Definitely not the same.
Your method is:
Fill the teapot or gaiwan 1/2 full with leaves.
Add hot water to rinse the leaves and discard the water.
Add hot water again and steep for just 5 seconds before serving.
For the second brew increase the steeping time to 8 seconds.
For the third brew increase the steeping time to 15 seconds.
Mine recommended above is
Throw in 10-12g [for 200 ml pot]. Do a quick rinse and then start with 35 seconds, and then 30 seconds, 35 seconds and so on.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:02 pm
by GailC
Baisao wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 10:14 pm
Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:34 am
GailC wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:28 am
don't know much about it besides its from Alishan High Mountain in Taiwan.
I've asked the harvest year
Where was the tea purchased? Who sold it? (It could have been bought at a tea-growing spot but grown elsewhere.)
Additionally, “milk oolong” is often faked with a light application of non-dairy creamer, maltose, or something like that. I can’t see it but I can feel it in my hands. It’s a light, powdery residue that gets sticky with the humidity in my hands.
GailC, so-called milk oolong (jin xuan) should not have a milk flavor but a creamy, milk-like
texture. A milk
flavor is a sure sign of a faked jin xuan. And not every harvest of jin xuan has this sought after texture.
The above advice to use off boil water assumes you have good quality leaves and the requisite skill to them. Bitter and astringent compounds go into solution more easily the higher the water temperature is.
Try the above advice. It’s good advice. And if you find it astringent, drop the temp to no lower than 193°f/90°c. Then up your game by finding better quality jin xuan and building out your skills until you can use boiling water every time.
I bought it from etsy from a shop called Oriarm, its the same place I've been buying my lao cha tou.
Its from a spring 2022 harvest. There is no milky flavor, just a slight creaminess I can't quite describe. The flavor is nice but its a bit too spinachy.
I don't know if it exists, but I'd really like a milk oolong that is more oxidized as green tea isn't a favorite.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:46 pm
by Baisao
@GailC, how may grams of tea did you use? How many ml is the teapot?
I’d expect to see more wrinkles on the leaves and the edges less torn. Was this in balls or pellets?
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:02 am
by GailC
Baisao wrote: ↑Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:46 pm
GailC, how may grams of tea did you use? How many ml is the teapot?
I’d expect to see more wrinkles on the leaves and the edges less torn. Was this in balls or pellets?
3-4 grams, 250 ml pot. I guess they would be balls, not really sure what the difference is.
I checked the leaves closer, the tears seem to be insect damage and there are bite marks in the center of some leaves.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:29 am
by Baisao
GailC wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:02 am
Baisao wrote: ↑Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:46 pm
GailC, how may grams of tea did you use? How many ml is the teapot?
I’d expect to see more wrinkles on the leaves and the edges less torn. Was this in balls or pellets?
3-4 grams, 250 ml pot. I guess they would be balls, not really sure what the difference is.
I checked the leaves closer, the tears seem to be insect damage and there are bite marks in the center of some leaves.
That's what most of us mean when we refer to ball shape. The good news is that it is real jin xuan based upon the vein pattern I see, but a lot depends upon processing.
The absence of wrinkles can indicate that it was steeped too long, too little leaf was used, or this is the end of a very long session.
It should not be spinach-y at all. It should be light, delicate, orchid-gardenia florals, with cream-like texture. If you have a gram scale, use 6g/100ml as a starting point. If you do not have a scale, add leaf to cover the bottom just enough that you can see the bottom of the pot in some places. I prefer a scale for starting out and for standardized tasting sessions.
Re: Teach me to brew oolong
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2022 3:55 pm
by GailC
Baisao wrote:
That's what most of us mean when we refer to ball shape. The good news is that it is real jin xuan based upon the vein pattern I see, but a lot depends upon processing.
The absence of wrinkles can indicate that it was steeped too long, too little leaf was used, or this is the end of a very long session.
It should not be spinach-y at all. It should be light, delicate, orchid-gardenia florals, with cream-like texture. If you have a gram scale, use 6g/100ml as a starting point. If you do not have a scale, add leaf to cover the bottom just enough that you can see the bottom of the pot in some places. I prefer a scale for starting out and for standardized tasting sessions.
I tend to over steep as I like a full flavor, too delicate and I can't taste it. I'll try more for a shorter steep and see if it helps.
The only other tea I drink is puer and sometimes I let it steep overnight
