Alright, guys, let’s talk about oolong black tea. I’ve been experimenting with it, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey. I wanted to try something different, a fusion kinda thing.

Getting Started

First, I grabbed some oolong tea leaves. I had some decent quality ones I’d picked up a while back, specifically from a local shop.

Then, I looked up how to properly make black tea. See, I usually just wing it, but I wanted to get this right. I discovered that the crucial part in making black tea is oxidation, a step I previously missed, but also essential for oolong tea.

The Experiment

• I heated up some water, aiming for, around 205°F (96°C). I don’t have one of those fancy temperature-controlled kettles, so I just eyeballed it – basically, when it’s steaming hot but not quite boiling.
• Then I spread my oolong tea leaves out on a tray.
• I bruised the leaves a little bit by gently crushing them with my hands. I wasn’t sure how much to do this, so I just went until they looked a bit… well, bruised. This is to help them oxidize, I guess.
• I spread them out again and left them to sit. The instructions I saw said to let them oxidize for a while, like 8-12 hours, checking them regularly. Frankly, this part was tricky. I kept checking them, trying to figure out if they were “oxidized enough.” It’s hard to tell! I think I let them sit for about 10 hours, just to be safe.
• After that wait, I preheated my oven to a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C). I spread the leaves on a baking sheet and popped them in. The goal here is to dry them out completely and stop the oxidation. I checked them every so often, and it took about 20-30 minutes until they were nice and dry.
• Finally, I took them out and let them cool down. Time for the taste test!

Brewing and Tasting

I brewed a cup using the newly processed leaves, pretty much like I would with any black tea – hot water, steep for a few minutes. The color was definitely darker than my usual oolong, more of a reddish-brown. The taste? It was interesting! It had that familiar oolong flavor, but with a deeper, richer, kind of malty taste that you get with black tea. It wasn’t exactly like any black tea I’d had before, but it was pretty good!

Final Thoughts

So, would I do this again? Maybe! It was a lot of work, and I’m not sure I got the oxidation part completely perfect. But it was a fun experiment, and the result was a unique cup of tea. If you’re feeling adventurous and have some time on your hands, give it a shot! Just be prepared for a bit of trial and error.