Oolong tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. It is a semi-fermented tea with a rich and refreshing taste, rich tea aroma, and unique quality styles such as green leaves with red edges.
The drinking characteristics of Oolong tea are that it focuses on the aroma rather than the shape. First smell the fragrance and then taste the flavor, so the brewing method is very particular. There are certain requirements from the amount of tea leaves, the water temperature for brewing tea, the steeping time, the number of brewing times and the method of pouring tea.
1. Amount of tea leaves
For brewing Oolong tea, the amount of tea leaves used is more than that of Chinese fine green tea and black tea, and the tea to water ratio is about 1:15/20 (if you are a beginner in Chinese tea, you can try a tea to water ratio 1:30)
2. Water temperature
The raw materials picked for Oolong tea are maturetea leaves, and the water temperature requirements are different from those of delicate and famous teas. It is required to brew immediately after the water boils, and the water temperature is 100℃ (212℉). The higher the water temperature, the higher the tea extraction rate, and the stronger the tea flavor and aroma, which can better bring out the unique charm of oolong tea.
3. Steeping time and number of brewing
High-quality oolong tea is more resistant to brewing, and can generally be brewed 6 times or more, and the fragrance still remains. The brewing time should be from short to long.
The first infusion: 5-10s, the second infusion: 5-10s, the third infusion: 5-10s, the fourth infusion: 10s, the fifth infusion: 15s, and the steeping time can be appropriately increased after the fifth brewing.
4. Brewing and pouring
There are special teawares for brewing oolong tea. Here recommend using Chaozhou clay teapots. Chaozhou red clay pots have strong heat preservation and slow heat dissipation, which can help oolong tea release dissolved substances, making oolong tea more mellow and fragrant, and can maintain the color, aroma and taste of tea for a long time.
Because the brewing method of oolong tea is very particular, a brewing method called "Chaozhou Gong Fu Cha" was created. The complete set of utensils includes: a red clay charcoal stove (Hongni Lu), a red clay kettle (Sha Diao), Chaozhou red clay teapot, three tea cups, a large red clay tea boat, a small red clay tea tray, a red clay lid shelf, a tea scoop, a charcoal bowl, a pair of brass chopsticks, a brass hammer, a brass pliers, a brass shovel, and a Gongfu fan.
The Gongfu Cha method is as follows:
- Preheating teaware: Preheating the teaware can make the temperature of the tea set evenly heated, which is conducive to smelling the tea aroma .
- Preparing and appreciating tea leaves: When taking tea, appreciate the appearance of the dry tea leaves in the teapot to understand the nature of the tea and decide the amount of tea to be placed and the brewing water temperature.
- Rinsing and brewing tea: The first step is called rinsing tea, we do not drink it. After rinsing tea, pour in boiling water for the second time. The method of flushing water should be to move the kettle up and down three times, which is called "Phoenix Three Nods", which can better stimulate the tea fragrance. And the teapot body needs to be rinsed with boiling water to maintain the water temperature in the teapot and fully brew the fragrance of the tea.
- Pouring tea: There are two ways to pour tea: 1. The average tea distribution method (pointing method), pouring the tea soup evenly into the teacup, its advantage is that the fragrance will not be lost too much. 2. Pour the moderately strong tea soup into the fair cup, in addition to making the concentration of the tea soup even, it can also precipitate the tea powder. When pouring tea, you should go low to prevent the loss of fragrance and flavor. The tea soup is filled 70% full to make each cup of tea soup have a uniform fragrance.
- Tasting tea: Sip tea in three times for a cup of tea, and taste the good tea carefully.
