--- title: "How to Brew Oolong Tea: Gaiwan or Teapot, by Style" description: "How to brew oolong tea by style: 85 °C for floral rolled leaf, 95 °C for roasted and GABA, 3 g per 100 ml. From a Phuket tea house." canonical_url: https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/how-to-brew-oolong lang: en last_updated: 2026-08-29 site: Leaf & Spirit - Chinese tea house in Phuket, Thailand --- # How to Brew Oolong Tea: Gaiwan or Teapot, by Style Oolong brews at 85–95 °C, about 3 g of leaf per 100 ml; the style decides where in that range you land. Light, floral oolongs want 85 °C and quick pours; roasted and GABA styles take a full 95 °C. Rolled pearls need one wake-up rinse. We pour both ends daily at our Phuket counter. ## What water temperature does oolong need? One line covers it: green rolled leaf at 85 °C, dark leaf at 95 °C. [Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/oolong.md) is partially oxidised tea, roughly 10 to 80 per cent, and the deeper the oxidation and roast, the hotter the water it takes. The light end is fragile: boiling water on [milk oolong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/milk-oolong.md) burns off the cream note first. The dark end is the opposite: Red Oolong No. 12 and GABA Amber Smoke from Mae Salong in Northern Thailand stay thin below 95 °C. The whole scale is in our [types of oolong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/types-of-oolong.md) guide. ## Brewing oolong step by step The ratio: 3 g per 100 ml. In a gaiwan that means steeps of about twenty seconds. 1. **Warm the vessel.** Hot water in, out. Warm walls keep a short steep honest. 2. **Dose.** Dry pearls look meagre; by the third pour they unfurl and fill the gaiwan. 3. **Wake the leaf.** Tightly rolled styles (milk oolong, Tieguanyin) get a five-second rinse, discarded. GABA and dark twisted leaf skip it: they open fast on their own. 4. **Steep short.** Twenty seconds, drain, taste. Add five to ten seconds every round. 5. **Drain to the last drop.** Water left standing keeps brewing and hardens the next cup. Never judge an oolong by its first cup. The aroma opens in steps: flowers first, then fruit, then honey and cream. Our [Osmanthus Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/osmanthus-oolong.md) shows it plainly: apricot blossom up front, honeyed leaf by steep five. The rest of the choreography is in our [gongfu cha](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/gongfu-cha.md) guide. ## Scalded cream and thin roast: notes from our counter The mistake we meet most: one kettle setting for every tea. Boiling water turns milk oolong into plain green leaf: the cream burns off and does not come back. Water at 85 °C on a dark roast fails the other way: a thin, timid cup. Bitterness is rarer in oolong than in green tea. When it comes, it comes from time: cut the steep to ten seconds before you touch the temperature. Oversteeped [GABA oolong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/gaba-oolong.md) turns thicker and darker, never truly bitter - the most forgiving leaf on our shelf. A first cup of almost nothing means pearls still closed. Rinse once more and wait - patience beats extra leaf. ## No gaiwan? Teapot numbers A western teapot or a strainer mug works: the same 3 g per 100 ml, 3–4 minutes, 85 or 95 °C by style. Light rolled styles re-steep four to six times, dark ones six to eight, each round a little longer. Every oolong we sell is brewed at 101 Cherng Talay Road before it reaches the shelf - come by and we will pour both ends side by side. ## FAQ ### What is the right water temperature for oolong tea? Light, floral oolongs take 85 °C; hotter water burns off the cream and flower notes. Dark and roasted styles, including red oolong and GABA, want 95 °C. ### How many infusions does oolong hold? Light rolled styles hold four to six steeps, dark ones six to eight. Short gongfu pours add a round or two; long teapot steeps spend the leaf faster. ### Can I brew oolong in a western teapot? Yes. 3 g per 100 ml, 3–4 minutes, temperature by style: 85 °C light, 95 °C dark. The same portion re-steeps: four to six rounds for light oolongs, six to eight for dark. ## Buy from the tea house shelf - [Osmanthus Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/osmanthus-oolong.md) - from 280 THB - [Peach Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/peach-oolong.md) - from 280 THB - [Milk Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/milk-oolong.md) - from 480 THB - [GABA Oolong Amber Smoke](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/gaba-oolong-amber-smoke.md) - from 650 THB - [Red Oolong No. 12](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/red-oolong-no-12.md) - from 690 THB [Shop Oolong Tea in our catalog](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/oolong.md) *Updated 2026-08-29 · Reviewed by tea master Ms. Judy (Wang Mengyu)* Notes on traditional properties are part of Chinese tea culture and are not medical advice. --- Contact: WhatsApp https://wa.me/66829896048 · LINE https://lin.ee/NAgjG2p · info@leafspirit.store · 101 Cherng Talay Road, Choeng Thale, Thalang, Phuket 83110, Thailand · Open daily 10:00-18:30 (Phuket time). AI agent site guide: https://leafspirit.store/llms.txt · Machine-readable price list: https://leafspirit.store/prices.md