How to brew oolong tea: western style vs gongfu style

Brewing oolong tea well is simpler than most people think — and more rewarding than almost any other tea ritual. Unlike some green teas, oolong is relatively forgiving. Get the basics right and you’ll get a beautiful cup. Dial in the details and you’ll start to understand why tea enthusiasts talk about oolong the way wine lovers talk about a great vintage.

This guide covers everything: the two main brewing methods, the right temperatures for different oolong styles, cold brewing, and the mistakes that are easiest to fix.

The two ways to brew oolong tea

Western style — simple, everyday, and delicious

Western-style brewing is what most people do instinctively: one mug or teapot, one serving of tea, steeped for a few minutes. It’s perfectly suited to everyday drinking — quick, easy, and still produces a genuinely excellent cup with quality tea.

• What you need: A mug, teapot, or infuser. That’s it.

• Tea quantity: 1 teaspoon (2–3g) of loose leaf per 8 oz, or 1 tea bag

• Steep time: 2–3 minutes. Start at 2 and adjust to taste.

• Re-steeps: Add 30 seconds to each subsequent steep. You’ll get 2–3 great cups from the same leaves.

Gongfu style — the art of multiple infusions

Gongfu cha (功夫茶) — literally “tea with skill” — is the traditional method using a high leaf-to-water ratio and many short steeps. Where western brewing extracts everything in one or two steeps, gongfu brewing reveals the tea gradually — each infusion offering a slightly different character, like chapters in the same story.

• What you need: A small teapot or gaiwan (100–150ml). A pitcher to decant into. A cup.

• Tea quantity: 5–7g per 100ml — much more than western style

• First steep: 30–45 seconds

• Each additional steep: add 10–15 seconds

• Re-steeps: A good high mountain oolong yields 6–8 infusions this way

Water temperature guide by oolong type

Temperature is the single variable that most affects your cup. Too hot and you extract bitterness and dull delicate florals. Too cool and the tea never fully opens. Here’s a practical guide covering all DAE teas:

If you don’t have a temperature-controlled kettle: boiling water left to sit for 2 minutes cools to approximately 190–195°F — perfect for Oriental Beauty. For anything requiring full boiling, pour straight from the kettle.

Why water quality matters more than you think

This is the most underappreciated variable in home tea brewing. Tap water in many US cities contains chlorine and minerals that directly affect the flavor of high-quality tea — flattening florals, adding a metallic edge, and dulling natural sweetness.

The simplest upgrade you can make: use filtered water. A basic filtered pitcher is enough. For premium high-mountain teas like Lishan — where the flavor is genuinely extraordinary — filtered water is the difference between a good cup and a remarkable one.

Cold brewing oolong tea

Cold brewing is one of the most underutilized ways to enjoy oolong — and it produces a completely different cup from hot brewing. Cold water extracts more slowly and selectively, pulling out sweetness and floral compounds while leaving behind many bitter tannins. The result is a naturally sweet, clean, refreshing iced tea with no sugar needed.

• Place 2 tea bags or 5g of loose leaf in 600ml / 20 oz of room temperature filtered water

• Cover and refrigerate for 8–10 hours (overnight is ideal)

• Serve over ice

Common brewing mistakes — and how to fix them

Mistake 1: Using boiling water for every oolong

Not all oolongs want fully boiling water. Oriental Beauty is sensitive to extreme heat — use water at 190–200°F to preserve its delicate honey compounds. Check the temperature table above before brewing anything new.

Mistake 2: Steeping too long

Over-steeping extracts bitterness. If your oolong tastes harsh, steep for less time — not more. Start at 2 minutes for western style. With gongfu, the first steep should never exceed 45 seconds.

Mistake 3: Only steeping once

This is the most common waste in oolong brewing. Good oolong is designed for multiple infusions. The 2nd and 3rd steeps are often the best — give the leaf time to fully open and it will reward you.

Mistake 4: Using tap water without filtering

As covered above — chlorine and minerals in tap water affect flavor directly. If your tap water smells, your tea will taste it.

Mistake 5: Letting tea sit in the pot after steeping

Oolong continues steeping as long as it’s in contact with water. If stepping away, decant into a separate vessel or remove the leaves. Otherwise you’ll return to an over-extracted, bitter cup.

Which brewing method is right for you?

Start with western style. It requires no special equipment and still produces a wonderful cup with quality tea. Our full-leaf tea bags make this as easy as possible — no measuring, no infuser, just a mug and hot water.

When you’re curious about what else the tea can do — try gongfu. You don’t need expensive equipment: a small teapot and a little patience is all it takes. Once you’ve brewed gongfu style and watched a single measure of leaves yield six beautiful infusions, you’ll understand why tea lovers make time for it every day.