How to Brew Oolong (Wulong) Tea

Oolong tea is one of the most popular teas served in Chinese restaurants and preparation of the tea is considered to be an art. The art of brewing oolong tea (wulong tea) is referred to as Kungfu and can be very detailed and complicated. The name Oolong means “black dragon tea” and there are many explanations as to how the name was given to the tea.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3 tsp Oolong Tea Leaves
• Spring Water
• Tea Kettle or Saucepan (larger)
• Tea Pot (smaller)

1. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan or tea kettle. Spring water is much preferred over tap water, but tap water will work if you don’t have anything else on hand.

2. Pour warm water from the kettle over the teapot and inside to warm the pot. Make sure to discard all of this water from the teapot.

3. Place the leaves in the teapot and pour water from the kettle into the pot. Immediately discard the water from the pot. This washes away any fine leaves or particles.

4. The same leaves you began with should still be in the pot. Now pour water from the kettle into the pot and let brew for around a minute.

5. Pour the tea from the pot into small tea cups and enjoy the aroma before sipping.

6. You may repeat steps 4 and 5 with the same leaves up to 6 or 7 times. Make sure each time you allow the tea to brew approximately 15 seconds longer than the last. The leaves are no longer usable when the tea is too light to drink.

Tips & Warnings

• The first brew will be the most aromatic, but the best brews are usually from the 2-4 brews.