Buying great Oriental Beauty Tea doesn’t automatically guarantee a great cup. The wrong brewing method can easily ruin a fine pot of tea. Although Oriental Beauty Tea is a semi-fermented tea just like Oolong, its fermentation level is heavier, and the required leaf-to-water ratio and water temperature are also different. By mastering a few key brewing tips, you can brew a sweet and delicious cup of Oriental Beauty Tea.
Water Temperature: The water temperature should not be too high when brewing Oriental Beauty Tea; around 75°C to 80°C is ideal. If the water is too hot, the flavor can become overly strong and easily produce bitterness and astringency. After boiling the water, let it sit for about 5 minutes for the temperature to drop to around 80°C. Brewing at this point brings out the best flavor.
Tea Leaves Amount: Fill about half of the teapot with tea leaves. Too much will make it too strong, and too little too weak. Using slightly less than half a pot of leaves, the first steep should take about 1 minute, with each subsequent steep increasing by 40 seconds. Good Oriental Beauty Tea can be steeped about 5 times.
Additionally, you can use the cold-brew method to enjoy a refreshing, chilled Oriental Beauty Tea on a hot summer day. Use about one-fifth of the teapot’s capacity with tea leaves, add ice water, and you can enjoy a cool, refreshing cup in about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can take Oriental Beauty Tea that has already been hot-brewed 5 times, put it in a water bottle filled with water, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. This makes a wonderfully refreshing drink for summer.