Half-oxidized. Floral on the first cup, mineral on the sixth. Three leaves that reward staying a while.
The short answer
The xxxtea oolong collection is three leaves: Ti Kuan Yin for orchid florals, Alishan high-mountain for cream with no astringency, and Da Hong Pao for heavy roast. Brew light oolongs at 185–195°F and roasted ones near a boil, in short steeps. A good rolled oolong gives five or six.
The florals
Orchid on the first steep. Biscuit on the third. Five-plus rounds if you respect it.
Rolled, lightly roasted Iron Goddess from Anxi. It brews almost like a green: keep the water cooler and the steeps short, or it goes flat.
The cream
Grown above the clouds. Cream and orchid, no astringency. Steep it six times.
Taiwanese leaf from above 1,000 meters, lightly oxidized and rolled tight. It opens buttery and floral, with a clean finish.
The dark one
Heavy roast. Wuyi rock. The closest tea gets to a single malt.
Mineral and dark stone fruit, each steep peeling back another layer. Roasted this hard, it wants water near a full boil.
5+steeps
Gongfu style: 5–7g of leaf in a 120ml gaiwan, a first steep of thirty seconds, then ten to fifteen seconds more each round. Rolled oolongs like Ti Kuan Yin and Alishan give five or six distinct infusions; a roasted Wuyi rock oolong keeps going after that. One long Western steep throws most of that away.
Rolled tight. Sitting on dark wood. Crimson at the seam.
Gold seam running through. Tea at the edge.
Two teas, one verdict, and who each one is for.
FAQ
A quality rolled oolong like Ti Kuan Yin or Alishan gives five or six distinct infusions brewed gongfu style; a roasted Wuyi rock oolong like Da Hong Pao keeps going after that. Each steep tastes different: floral early, fruit in the middle, mineral at the end.
Light, rolled oolongs like Ti Kuan Yin and milk oolong want 185–195°F. Roasted oolongs like Da Hong Pao want 205–212°F. Read the oxidation and the roast, not just the word oolong.
Gongfu gets the most out of the leaf: 5–7g in a 120ml gaiwan, thirty seconds for the first steep, ten to fifteen seconds longer each round. Western works too: one heaping teaspoon per 8oz for three to five minutes, with fewer re-steeps.
