Framework for this guide
Brewing method: Traditional gongfu tea (at least five infusions).
Tea used: Taiwanese oolong tea, ball shaped and strip shaped.
Equipment used: Zisha tea pot or gaiwan, small teacups, tea boats, boiling kettles, boiling cookers.
Level: Beginner to medium.
In the second article of the series "How to Brew Oolong Tea", we learnt about the first step to get started: temperature. Now we can move on to the topic of time, as time is related to temperature.
Regarding time, you just need to remember a formula:
Time × Temperature = Amount released
Remember, the higher the temperature, the faster the tea releases its contents. Below is a conceptual comparison chart to help you understand the different amount between different temperatures multiplied by time. In my experience, the difference can be as much as double for every 5 °C.
Taiwan's Ball Shaped and Strip Shaped Tea
With this physical principle in mind, let's take a look at the characteristics of the tea to be brewed. In Taiwan, there are two main types of tea shapes: ball shaped tea and strip shaped tea. Both of these crafts were originally passed from China at different times. After coming to Taiwan, oolong tea has undergone a cultural transformation into the Taiwanese tea we drink today, which has a very different flavour from the one that originally came from China. Based on my own observation, I simply attribute this to three major factors: Firstly, the historical changes that occurred as a result of the political choices made by the different regimes of the Japanese rule period and the Republic of China (ROC). Secondly, the tea itself expresses the oceanic climate of Taiwanese island and the terroir of the local growing environment. Thirdly, the hot and humid climate creates the local people's preferred light tastes.Ball Shaped Tea
Taiwan's ball-shaped tea originally came from the Tieguanyin artisanal production in Anxi, China. Its characteristic is that it is continuously rolled and twisted over a long period of time to form a ball shape. The purpose is to increase a certain taste of the tea (茶韻）and to release the substances faster when the tea is steeped.Depending on the variety and craftsmanship of the tea, ball-shaped teas are usually made from Taiwan's light oxidation oolong teas (many of which are high mountain teas), medium-oxidation and roasted teas with a throaty flavour, such as Tieguanyin, Dong Ding Oolongs and Red Oolongs produced in Taitung.
Strip Shaped Tea
Taiwan's earliest striped teas are Bao Zhong teas (包種茶）, which come from the Wuyi Mountain oolong tea process in China. Taiwanese strip shaped teas are usually made from zero or light oxidation tea like green, white, yellow, and Bao Zhong tea. We drink the lightness, freshness and sweetness of these teas.At the other end of the oxidation spectrum, we mainly drink highly oxidised tea like Oriental Beauty and black teas, where the tea polyphenols have been transformed over a long period of time into a mellow and fruity flavour. There are also many complex factors involved in why tea is made into balls or strips. We can discuss in detail more in other articles. The key is always related to "suitability".
Three Overview Perspectives
Let's move on to three important concepts. You may not see them being discussed anywhere because as they are my personal observations. I think these ideas are very practical and helpful in making a good cup of tea. For beginners, it may be a bit abstract. You can keep it in your mind first, and in the future, when you have different realisations of tea brewing, it will be fun to continue to chew on those perspectives.1. An Overall Angle
First of all, one of the key points to look at when brewing tea is the "overall" perspective. You can control time to evenly distribute the substances released by each brew, so that the whole tea drinking experience is like a harmonious piece of music.If you don't arrange it well, you may end up releasing too much in the front and leaving the back empty. It takes time to brew the same tea several times and observe the ups and downs of each brew, and you will be able to figure out the content of all the substances in the tea. Once you have an overall picture in your mind, you can give each infusion a suitable amount of time like a conductor of a symphony orchestra.
2. The First Brew
The first brew is very crucial. The temperature and time of the first steeping will determine the character of the tea broth in the subsequent steeping.In terms of water temperature: If you brew high mountain oolong tea at 80 °C instead of the suggested 90 - 95 °C for the first steeping, the ball shaped tea can’t fully open up. Even if you then increase the temperature to 90 - 95 °C for the second steeping, the character of the tea broth will not fully awaken.
In terms of time, if the first steeping time is too long, the bitterness has already started to release, then the next few steeping will continue to release too.
3. Substances
Various substances in the tea will be activated at different points in time.Aroma
The first thing to be released from the tea is the complex polyphenols, which is why the first brew is usually the most aromatic. If you take 20 or 50 seconds for the first brew, you may get a very different aroma. Because certain substances may be triggered at 20 seconds and some at 30 seconds. You can experiment with different timings (and the same goes for temperature) to determine the personality of your tea.Caffeine and Other Substances
Similarly, caffeine is activated at a specific point in time. If you make your first brew at a high temperature, for say 50 seconds, you'll already have more bitterness. Or if you want the bitterness to come out later, you can shorten the number of seconds in the first brew.There is no certainty on the amount of time a substance will be stimulated in each type of tea. The picture below is just a conceptual diagram to illustrate what I am talking about. You have to taste the changes of each tea by your own heart.
The Suggestions of Brewing Time
Now let's take a closer look at how we can arrange the time for these five infusions.Ball Shape Tea
It will take at least 30~50 seconds for the ball shape tea to open when it touches water (depending on the temperature it is exposed to). The degree of opening correlates with the release of the contents. You can picture the opening of a tea ball as the blooming of a flower. As mentioned above, the degree of blooming in the first brew will create the character of the tea broth in the subsequent brews.
I personally concluded that there are two structures of time to brew ball-shaped tea. I call the first one “Blooming Method“. You first give the first infusion about 40 to 50 seconds for the ball to open up completely. This is like letting a flower bloom to its fullest extent. At the same time the tea will release rich caffeine and even a slight to medium bitterness and astringency. Once these substances are released in the first infusion, it is like opening Pandora's box, they will continue to be released until later.
There are two ways to continue with the second infusion. One is to decrease the time component compared to the first infusion. It’s about 20 seconds or so. The ball is already opened in the first infusion, you shorten the time, so that the tea broth is of a similar strength. You leave some of the substances to be released evenly in the next three infusions. Or the second way is to directly add 10~15 seconds for the second brew. 20~25 seconds for the third brew. 30~45 seconds for the fourth brew, and so on, until the tea fades away.
“Blooming Method” is how most people are recommended to brew tea. If you like stronger flavours, you can even adjust longer time by yourself. However, after experimenting with it myself, I think this method will make the tea soup look like a flabby person. It takes too long to release even the unpleasant flavour from each brew, making the tea taste muddy, not clear, and not well-defined. At the same time, I can understand that people who are used to the beauty of coffee or wine may see it as “full body”.
Personally, I prefer another way of brewing, which is clean, refreshing and full of layers. I call it “Multi Layer Method”. The secret is to shorten the duration of each steeping, so that you control the substances released from each tea in a subtle way. The first brew will be like a flower that is 80% bloomed. The second brew will be 90% bloomed. And the third brew will be the full bloomed flower. Because the first two infusions are shortened, often times the bitterness is not released until the third or fourth infusion. Each infusion will also release different aromas and new flavours. This makes the overall tea drinking become sophisticated, just like a symphony, with ups and downs till the last brew.
Strip Shaped Tea
Strip shaped tea is more straightforward regarding brewing method. Basically the time correlates in a linear fashion to the amount of tea released. You just need to increase the number of seconds from the previous steeping till the last brew. The key point is to find a balanced timing so that all five brews can be released evenly.Strip shaped tea is more challenging in that there is a lot of variation in the craftsmanship and varieties. The number of seconds varies a lot, so you need to experiment directly with the tea. Understanding the process of making tea will help a lot. For example, white tea does not have its leaf surface damaged, so it needs to be steeped for a longer period of time. For black tea, the leaf surface has been damaged to a great extent to help it oxidise, so it will be released very quickly when brewing. It may take less than 20 seconds to pour out the tea.
The above formula is just a way to get a good flavour out of your tea quickly, but it is not definitive. The point is that you can diverge from this structure, increase or decrease the time, and find the flavour you like. Please keep it flexible. This is just a suggestion, a way of looking at tea.
Note: There has been a controversial question in the tea industry. When brewing oolong tea, should I wash the tea or not? For oolong tea, I personally do not recommend washing the tea in the first brew. Only for puerh tea, I would recommend to do so. People say that washing tea is to remove the dust and impurities from the surface of the tea, and to wake up the tea, so that the aroma and flavour of the tea can bloom better. Some even do so to wash away pesticides.
First, if you really care about your health, you should just buy clean tea which is grown without any pesticides or chemicals like naturally / wild farmed or wild tea. Second, during the first brewing about 60-80% of the vitamins, amino acids, polyphenols, caffeine, tea saponins and other nutrients released by the tea are the most abundant and will be leached out. As the number of brews increases, the amount of leaching decreases. If you skip the first brew, it is a great pity in my eyes.