4 Ways You Can Steep Outstanding Oolong Tea

By Erika Robertson

Have you always wanted to know how to make oolong tea? Oolongs are a special creation that fall between green and black teas and were cherished throughout history for their incredible beauty. Oolong translates to “black dragon” or “dark dragon” and their dried tea leaves are twisted and formed to look like these mythical creatures. 

Their tea leaves are robust, and when you learn how to make oolong tea the right way, you can taste all the subtle nuances and flavors that range from floral to earthy and fruity. Whether you want to enjoy your oolong tea iced on a hot summer day or steaming hot for an afternoon treat, we have the guidance and tools you need to make it happen — and it’s so easy! 

What You’ll Need:

• Teapot or tea pitcher (Or, you can use your single-serve teacup/tea mug)
• Removable tea infuser
• Loose-leaf oolong tea
• Water (use fresh water that hasn’t been re-boiled)
• Tea measuring spoon - optional
• Tea timer - optional

Hot Oolong Tea Instructions

The trick to making a good pot of oolong tea is to be sure your water temperature is just right. You don’t want your water too hot, otherwise you may burn your leaves and release bitter flavors. If your water is too cold your tea might not steep enough and could taste like weak water. 

Learning how to make hot oolong tea is a requirement for most of the recipes below — you’ll start by steeping hot tea for both the ice and iced variations, too. You might experience the heavenly aromas and flavors of oolong tea most abundantly with this hot version. Hot beverages usually lend themselves to more sensory perceptions of flavor than their iced counterparts. 

Step 1: Heat Your Water

Oolong tea is a cross between robust black tea — which is steeped in boiling water at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit — and delicate green tea — which is steeped in the lowest temperature water around 175 degrees Fahrenheit. When you make oolong tea, the ideal steeping temperature is 195 degrees Fahrenheit — which is just below boiling. 

If you don’t have a thermometer on hand, you can bring the water to the point right before a rolling boil. If you accidentally boil your water too much, you can simply let it sit for a few minutes to let it come back down to a lower temperature so you don’t burn your tea leaves.

Step 2: Warm Up Your Teapot or Tea Vessel

Heating your tea vessel or teapot is important if you want to maintain the right water temperature when you make oolong tea. Pouring hot water into your cold teapot can cause the water temperature to drop, which might leave you with weak and watery tea — no one wants that!

The solution? Prepare your teapot or vessel by adding a splash of water to it and swirling it around to heat it. Warming your vessel with help keep the water temperature in that sweet spot which will make your tea sing with flavor. It only takes about 10 or 15 seconds to heat the pot — you can discard the water after. 

Helpful Tip: Did you know that Teabloom tea kettles, pitchers, and teapots can be heated directly on the stovetop? If you have one of them, you can skip this step and add your water to your tea vessel. Simply add your tea leaves once your water reaches the right temperature to make your oolong tea.

Step 3: Add Your Tea Leaves

Always look at the directions on the tea package for specific measuring instructions when you make oolong tea. If there aren’t any instructions, you can use about 1 teaspoon of oolong tea for every 8 ounces of hot water. 

Your personal preference is the most important factor when it comes to deciding on the strength of your tea. If you’re unsure how strong to make your oolong tea, a teaspoon of loose-leaf tea is a good starting point. You can add fewer or more tea leaves for a milder or more robust flavor. 

Once you’ve heated your tea vessel add your tea leaves. Some people splash the leaves with a small amount of water to “wake them up”. You might see the little black dragon tea leaves start to unfurl and unwind — let them steam for about 30 seconds.

Step 4: Add the Hot Water

Add your hot water to your teapot and let your tea steep for an average of about 3 to 5 minutes. The variety of oolong teas is vast, and the flavor profiles and steeping times vary from one type to another. Always check the package instructions for guidance. 

If you know your oolong tea is delicate and green-tea-heavy, you can steep it for 2 to 3 minutes. If your oolong tea is hearty and black-tea-heavy, steep it for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Be sure to set a timer — you don’t want to steep your tea longer than 5 minutes. Steeping it for longer may release bitter notes into your tea.

Step 5: Remove the Tea Leaves

Steep your tea and remove the leaves right away to avoid releasing those bitter flavors. Using a removable tea infuser is the easiest way to remove your tea leaves. 

You’ll want to gently lift your leaves out of the water and set them to the side. Never squeeze your tea leaves — this can release bitter flavors, too. 

Helpful Tip: Keep your drained oolong tea leaves to the side so you can enjoy a second pot of tea. Oolong tea is usually strong enough to enjoy a wonderful second steep. 

The second batch will be weaker than the first steep, so if you prefer a stronger flavor just add a dash of fresh tea leaves to the infuser before steeping. 

Step 6: Add Accompaniments 

Tea purists will say that the best way to enjoy oolong tea is on its own. But you can make oolong tea and drink it however you like. 

Some people like to add milk or sugar to their oolong tea. You’ll find that boba milk tea houses have a variety of chilled and hot teas that are sweetened and doctored up — including oolongs. You enjoy your cup of tea however you like!

Iced Oolong Tea Instructions

Does oolong tea make a good iced tea? — You bet it does! Iced oolong tea is an absolute treasure. 

It might be an unconventional spin on American iced tea that you know and love. But did you know that the first kind of tea to come to America was actually green tea? During WW2, the US rerouted its tea supply from Asia — which made primarily green tea — to Britain-controlled India — which made black tea. 

With oolong tea, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Iced oolong teas are a delightful spin on robust Southern iced teas. We are fans of drinking iced tea even in the winter and have iced tea recipes for all four seasons. 

If you want to make iced oolong tea, the process is simple. You’ll want to start with the hot tea recipe above and make a few changes:

Double or Triple the Tea Leaves

You’re going to want to make your oolong tea extra strong — but remember, you don’t want to steep it longer than 5 minutes. To make it stronger, you’ll add two to three times more tea leaves per cup of hot water. This comes out to about 2 to 3 teaspoons for every 8 ounces of water. 

Flash-Chill with Ice

Remove your tea leaves and transfer the hot tea to a pitcher or a large enough vessel so you can add a good amount of ice. You’ll want to flash-chill your hot tea immediately. This will help mellow out that strong steep. 

Serve your tea in glasses with plenty of ice to keep it cold and refreshing. Your tea should still be strong enough that you taste that vibrant oolong flavor. Feel free to add any complimentary herbs, fruit, or garnish to taste. 

Oolong Ice Tea Instructions - A Spin on Iced Tea

You know all about iced tea, but do you know what ice tea is? There is a difference in the ways ice tea and iced tea are made. 

Iced tea, by definition, is a tea that’s been iced — or flash-chilled. Ice tea on the other hand isn’t flash-chilled. It’s a great alternative if you don’t like the idea of using all of those tea leaves. The only caveat is that you have to practice a little more patience with this ice tea method. 

For this recipe, you’ll also start by making a hot pot of oolong tea, but with a few changes. You just need a little more patience and extra time for this version: 

Make it a Little Stronger than Hot Tea

This recipe doesn’t use nearly as many tea leaves as when you make iced oolong tea. Make a pot of hot tea as you normally do, but add 1.5 teaspoons of tea for every 8 ounces of hot water. Steep if for no more than 5 minutes. 

Cool Your Tea Slowly

Once your tea is steeped, remove the tea leaves and let your tea cool down slowly. It’s ideal if you let it cool down in the refrigerator.

This method might take a lot longer, but it’s almost a failsafe way to make strong chilled tea. You’ll never have to concern yourself with over-icing your tea and accidentally diluting it. You may find that your tea has a more true-to-taste flavor, too. 

Making your oolong tea just a little stronger is essential if you’re adding ice to your serving glasses. Once your tea is cooled down we recommend serving it in glasses and a little ice. The ice will slowly melt, but your tea should stay strong enough that you can taste those robust oolong flavors.

Cold Brew Oolong Tea Instructions

You’ve probably heard of cold brew coffee, but have you heard of cold brew oolong tea? It turns out this method isn’t just for coffee lovers, but you can use it to make incredible-tasting chilled tea, too. 

Use a high-quality loose-leaf tea for this cold brew recipe. The tea found in tea bags looks more like tea dust and can release horrible bitter flavors. With whole-leaf teas, you’ll enjoy a higher-quality flavor with rounded notes. 

The cold brew tea technique is excellent for first-time tea makers — it’s practically fool-proof because it’s nearly impossible to steep too long. Because the tea never hits hot water, the tea isn’t as heavily caffeinated, either. 

The only thing you’ll need is more patience:

Step 1: Measure the Oolong Leaves

To make this cold brew oolong tea recipe you’ll measure out more tea leaves. Instead of a teaspoon, you’ll measure a tablespoon for about every 1.5 cups of water — or 12 ounces of hot water. If you find that the strength of your tea isn’t to your liking, you can add more or fewer tea leaves next time.

Step 2: Steep in Cold Water

You’ll want to make your oolong tea in fresh cold water. Place the filled vessel in your refrigerator and steep the tea to your desired strength. You’ll want to steep it for at least 4 hours, but some teas can steep for as long as 10 hours.

Step 3: Remove Your Tea Leaves and Serve

Once the tea is steeped to your liking, remove the leaves and discard them. You can enjoy your tea straight — with or without ice. If you don't want to dilute your tea, we recommend serving it in a chilled glass. You can also add any accompaniments you want — enjoy!

Enjoy Better Flavor with Teabloom Teaware

Making outstanding oolong tea that bursts with flavor starts with outstanding teaware — Let Teabloom be your supplier for exquisite teaware. 

Since the very beginning, their mission has been to clean up the tea industry by creating sustainable, beautiful, and healthy teaware for tea lovers across the globe. Their teaware is made of an amazing material called borosilicate glass. It’s not only handmade by artisans but was chosen for its toxic-free health benefits. 

If you want to drink pure-tasting, chemical-free tea that promotes your health-forward lifestyle, Teabloom’s exclusive collection is perfect for you. 

Explore teaware that speaks to your values and aesthetics. Teabloom makes tea taste better.

www.Teabloom.com