Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with making oolong tea lately, and I gotta say, getting the water temperature right makes a huge difference. I started out just winging it, you know, boiling water and pouring it straight onto the leaves. The tea tasted alright, but not great. Kinda bitter, actually.

Then I read somewhere that oolong tea needs water that’s not quite boiling. So, I started using a thermometer. First, I heat the water in my favorite kettle. I aimed for around 195 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 90 degrees Celsius. That seemed to be the sweet spot according to some articles I found.

• Heat water in kettle.
• Use thermometer to check the temperature.
• Aim for 195 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius).

I tried with my gaiwan set. First, I poured some water at the temperature I get. Let it sit there for a few seconds, and then, I just dumped that first batch out. I added the hot water again, and I covered the gaiwan. Wait for, like, 30 to 45 seconds, and that’s it.

I pour the tea out through a strainer into my cup. I let it cool down a bit. Not too hot, not too cold.

And guess what? It worked! The tea was way smoother, not bitter at all. It actually had a nice, kind of sweet flavor that I didn’t get before. It seems a little lower, at 185 F, it tasted weaker, and higher, at 205 F, it was stronger.

After a few more tries, I’ve realized that different kinds of oolong tea might need slightly different temperatures, but 195F is a good place to start. My dark oolong, I tried higher temperature with it, it turns out good, too.

So, if you’re making oolong tea and it’s not tasting quite right, definitely check your water temperature. It’s a small thing, but it really makes a big difference in the flavor.

I’m still experimenting and it is real fun. I hope this can help you as well, have fun!