Alright, let’s talk about this oolong tea stuff, the water thing, you know? I ain’t no fancy tea master, but I know a thing or two about makin’ a good cuppa.

So, they say the water for oolong tea needs to be hot, real hot, but not boilin’ hot, ya hear? Like, hot enough to scald a chicken, but not so hot it’ll burn the tea leaves to a crisp. They throw around these numbers, like 185 to 205 degrees, somethin’ like that. Fahrenheit, they call it. Fancy, I tell ya.

How to Get the Water Hot Enough?

• You can use one of them thermometer thingamajigs, if you got one. Poke it in the water and see if it’s hot enough.
• Or, you can do it the way I do it. Boil the water, then let it sit for a bit. Pour it back and forth between two pots, that cools it down a tad. You gotta get a feel for it, you know? It’s like knowin’ when the stove is hot enough to fry an egg without lookin’ at no fancy dials.

Some folks say, the best temp is between 190 and 200 degrees. That’s like…hot, but not too hot. They say if you boil the water, it makes the tea taste bitter. Like a lemon rind, but worse. And nobody wants bitter tea, right?

Now, some of them tea-drinkin’ fancy pants, they say you gotta rinse the tea leaves first. Pour a little hot water on ’em, then dump it out. Says it cleans the leaves and “awakens” them. Awakens! Like they’re sleepin’ or somethin’. I dunno ’bout all that, but I guess it can’t hurt. I usually just chuck the leaves right in the pot.

Warm Up the Pot and Cups

Oh, and another thing, they say you gotta warm up the teapot and the cups first. Pour some hot water in ’em, swish it around, then dump it out. Keeps the tea hot longer, I guess. Makes sense, I reckon. You wouldn’t pour hot soup in a cold bowl, would ya?

Then, you put your tea leaves in the warmed-up pot, pour in the hot water, and wait a minute. Just one minute, they say. Then pour the tea into the cups and drink it while it’s hot.

It’s kinda like makin’ green tea, but you use hotter water for oolong. That’s the important part, they say. Hot water, but not too hot. You get it?

They got all sorts of different oolong teas, you know? Some like the green tea, some like the black tea. The black tea, they say needs hotter water, like 90 to 98 degrees… Celsius, this time. And green tea, they like it cooler, around 80 degrees Celsius. It’s all a bit confusing, if you ask me.

And they say, don’t boil the water twice. Says it takes out the somethin’… oxygen, they call it. And the tea won’t taste as good. I guess they’re right. I tried it once, and the tea tasted flat, like dishwater. So, just boil the water once, and that’s it.

But the main thing is, don’t fuss over it too much. It ain’t rocket science, you know? Just get the water hot, not too hot, and you’ll have a decent cup of oolong tea. And if it ain’t perfect, well, that’s alright too. It’s just tea, after all. Drink it and be happy.

The Secret is in the Tryin’

And you know what? Don’t listen to everything they say. The best way to learn is to try it yourself. Make a cup, taste it, and see if you like it. If it’s too bitter, the water was too hot. If it’s too weak, maybe you didn’t use enough leaves, or the water wasn’t hot enough. Just keep tryin’ till you get it right. That’s what I always say. You ain’t gonna learn nothin’ by just readin’ about it.

And that’s all I gotta say about oolong tea. It ain’t that complicated, just don’t overthink it and make yourself a cuppa.

Tags: [oolong tea, tea brewing, water temperature, tea leaves, brewing guide, tea tips]