Okay, so the other day I decided to get a bit fancy and try making oolong tea the “proper” way. I’ve always just dunked a tea bag in hot water, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with loose leaf and the whole process.

First, I grabbed my little teapot – it’s nothing special, just a small ceramic one I got at a thrift store. I rinsed it out with some hot water, just to warm it up a bit. I think that helps, right?

Next, I measured out the tea. I didn’t have a scale, so I just eyeballed it. I used about a teaspoon of oolong leaves for my small pot. They looked kinda like little rolled-up balls, pretty cool.

• Boil water.
• Warm the teapot.
• add tea leaf.

Then came the water. I boiled some filtered water in my kettle. Now, I read somewhere that you shouldn’t use boiling water for oolong, so I let it cool down for a minute or two after it boiled. I have no idea what the actual temperature was, but it felt “not quite boiling” to me.

I poured the hot water over the leaves in the teapot, filling it up almost to the top. I put the lid on and let it steep. This is where I was totally guessing. I think I let it sit for about 3 minutes for the first steep. It smelled amazing!

First Cup Time!

I poured the tea into my little teacup – it was a beautiful golden color. I took a sip, and wow! It was way smoother and more flavorful than any oolong tea bag I’d ever had. There was this slight sweetness and a bit of a floral taste. So good!

I did a second steep with the same leaves, this time letting it sit for maybe 5 minutes. The color was a bit darker, and the flavor was a little stronger, but still really good. And I even did a third steep,It’s become lighter.I guess you can keep steeping the leaves until the flavor is gone.

Honestly, the whole process was way more fun and relaxing than I expected. And the tea was definitely better than the tea bag version. I’m no expert, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of this oolong tea thing!