I must confess that I’ve been hoarding my Wuyi Oolong. You see, I only have the one and the tin is already half gone. But I’ve been craving oolong for several days. Late yesterday afternoon, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to drink but knew I wanted more tea. So I fell back to the fact that I’d been wanting oolong recently.
Maybe I should have listen to my instinct at that time and ponder a bit more before I chose what to drink. Because not having run the dishwasher yet, I was down to a few mugs left. None were good choice to steep a single portion of tea and I didn’t want to waste my precious Wuyi Oolong steeping a double portion when I could get multiple steeps from it anyways. I chose an oddly shaped moose mug, which I love, but holds two cups. I thought I could just steep one cup in it. But I went to put the infuser in the mug, after heating it and getting the water to the correct temperature, when the oolong malfunction occurred.
The infuser would not fit deep enough into the mug and only a 1/2 inch of water barely wet the tea leaves! I’d brewed this mug less than full before! Possibly a cup and a half full though. But the infuser had sank deep enough and the leaves were covered with room to spare. PANIC!! My leaves are wet! My water is cooling! I don’t really have enough time to wash a mug. I quickly look in the cupboard for a glass cup that my infuser will fit in. They are all too narrow! I grab my Pyrex liquid measure cup. You know the one. The one with the handle that measures two cups. You most likely have one. I heat the Pyrex with the water from the moose mug then add water from the kettle. Check the temperature, add the infuser. It fits!
Four minutes later, the resulting tea looks rather light. But it’s been awhile since I’ve had oolong so perhaps I just don’t remember. I pour it back into the moose mug for drinking. It’s good but weak. A bit too weak. I drink it anyways, knowing I can make another steep right away. I make the 2nd steep in the Pyrex and pour it into the mug. A bit stronger but more of the same mostly. I am not inspired to try a 3rd steep. I think the oddness of preparation resulted in the less than enjoyable oolong last night rather than a downturn in my liking of oolong. I will try it again with a suitable mug and perhaps slightly hotter water. It might be awhile though.
2nd steep: 5 min, 190° F.
