Okay, so I wanted to figure out the deal with oolong tea and water temperature. I’ve been getting into tea lately, and oolong is one that I really enjoy, but sometimes it just tastes off, you know? I figured maybe I was messing up the water temperature.
I started by just boiling the water like I always do. It’s a habit, I guess. I got my electric kettle, filled it up, and hit the button. While waiting, I grabbed my favorite oolong tea leaves. These are tightly rolled, kinda like little pellets.
Experiment Round One
- Temperature: Boiling, around 212°F (100°C) – I didn’t use a thermometer this time, just eyeballed it.
- Tea: My usual rolled oolong
- Method: Poured boiling water over the leaves in my teapot and waited 3 minutes
Yeah, this was way too hot. The tea tasted really bitter and kind of harsh. Not the smooth, floral flavor I was expecting. It was almost undrinkable. Definitely not doing that again.
Experiment Round Two
- Temperature: Around 185°F (85°C) – This time, I boiled the water then let it cool down for a couple of minutes. Used a thermometer this time to be sure.
- Tea: Same rolled oolong
- Method: Poured the cooler water over the leaves, let it steep for about 3 minutes.
This was much better. The bitterness was gone, and the tea had a nicer, more delicate flavor. I could actually taste the floral notes that everyone talks about. But I thought it could still be improved.
Experiment Round Three
- Temperature: Around 195°F (90°C) – Heated the water a bit more than the last time.
- Tea: Switched to a different oolong, this one has more open, twisted leaves.
- Method: Same as before, 3-minute steep.
This seemed to be the sweet spot for this particular tea. The flavor was richer and more complex, with a nice balance of floral and slightly roasted notes. It was smooth and really enjoyable. I even got a couple of good infusions out of the same leaves.
So, what did I learn? Water temperature makes a huge difference with oolong tea. Boiling water is a no-go, at least for the types I tried. Something in the 185-195°F (85-90°C) range seems to work best, but it might depend on the specific type of oolong. I guess I’ll have to keep experimenting, but now I have a much better idea of what I’m doing. It’s a journey not a destination. I think my next step is trying some lighter oolongs, maybe I’ll use even cooler water for those. Also I think I need a better water heater because it wasted me a lot of time to boil and cool down the water. Need to find a more efficient way!
