Medium caffeine
Tie Guan Yin Oolong
A partly-oxidised tea rolled into tight pellets that open over several infusions. Brewed the gongfu way — lots of leaf, little water, short steeps — it gives a different cup every round.
- Water
- 95 °C
- Steep
- 0:45
- Serves
- 2
- Strength
- Balanced
Method
Rinse the leaves: pour hot water over them and tip it straight out to wake the pellets.
Fill the pot and steep the first infusion just 45 seconds.
Pour it out completely into the cups — water left sitting on the leaves stews them bitter.
Re-steep, adding 10–15 seconds each round. Good Tie Guan Yin gives five or more infusions.
0:450:45 steep
You'll need
- 150 ml water
- 6 g Tie Guan Yin, a rounded tbsp of rolled pellets
- A small teapot or gaiwan and two cups
Makes 2 cups. Scale the water and everything else together.