How to brew High mountain oolong
Taiwanese gaoshan: Alishan, Lishan, Shan Lin Xi.
Tightly rolled balls need hot water and a longer first steep just to open. Once they've unfurled, the next two steeps can be shorter.
Starting recipe
| Setting | Western (mug or teapot) | Gongfu (small pot or gaiwan) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 190–212°F (88–100°C) | 190–212°F (88–100°C) |
| Leaf | 1.5–3 g per 100 ml | 5–8 g per 100 ml |
| Steepdial starts at | 203°F (95°C) · 5 g · 250 ml | 203°F (95°C) · 6 g · 100 ml |
| First steep | 2:00–5:00 | 0:25–1:00 |
| A whole session | 3:00 · 2:30 · 3:00 · 4:00 | 0:40 · 0:25 · 0:25 · 0:30 · 0:40 · 0:55 · 1:15 · 1:40 |
The details
Rinse
Not needed. Start with the first steep.
Drinking window
Best fresh: at its best for about 6 months once opened. The floral top notes are what fade first.
Caffeine
Contains caffeine. How much depends on the leaf, the water temperature and the steep time; the style alone is a poor guide.
Iced and cold brew
Cold brew: 1.2 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 8 hours. Keep it cold and drink it within a day or two. For iced tea now, brew a concentrated hot cup (the same leaf in half the water) and pour it over an equal weight of ice; Steepdial accounts for the ice in the total water.
How Steepdial adjusts
After a session you tap what you'd change: more flavor, less bitter, less drying. Steepdial changes one thing at a time, staying near the ranges above, and remembers what worked for that tea.
More oolong
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185–212°F (85–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→OolongBaozhong
Wenshan Baozhong, open twisted leaf
185–203°F (85–95°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→OolongRoasted rolled oolong
Dong Ding, traditional Tieguanyin, roasted high mountain
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→OolongWuyi rock oolong (yancha)
Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, Shui Xian
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→OolongPhoenix oolong (dancong)
Mi Lan Xiang, Ya Shi Xiang, Huang Zhi Xiang
190–212°F (88–100°C) · 1–2 g per 100 ml→OolongOriental beauty
Dong Fang Mei Ren, bug-bitten Taiwanese oolong
176–194°F (80–90°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→