Est. 1956 · The Order The independent guide to oolong: the partly oxidized teas, and how to brew them. Oolong.biz
THE ORDER OF THE SEVENTH STEEP SEMPER PARTIM OXIDATUM The Order of the Seventh Steep
The Order of the Seventh Steep
OOLONG
Semper Partim Oxidatum Always partly oxidized

Tagged: gongfu

Article · Health & Science

Why a Green Oolong and a Heavy Roast Never Want the Same Water

The brewing guide states the temperature bands by oxidation level. Here is the extraction chemistry, measured in real studies, that makes them true.

Jun 4, 2026
Article · Brewing & Gongfu

What Mineral-Heavy Water Does to Oolong: Less Catechin, a Cloudier Cup

A 2024 study brewed the same Tieguanyin in four different waters and measured what came out. Mineral content moved the chemistry, not just the story a taster tells about it.

May 21, 2026
Article · Brewing & Gongfu

Gongfu Cha Was Never a Ceremony

The word means skill, not ritual. What Chaoshan does at the table, who styled it into a performance, and who built a two-thousand-seat theater around it.

May 14, 2026
Article · Brewing & Gongfu

The Pot Is Not Neutral: What Six Teapot Materials Do to the Same Oolong

Researchers brewed one oolong in six vessels, zisha and zhuni clay, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and plastic, then measured what actually left the leaf. Clay changed the chemistry. Here is what the pore structure explains.

Mar 27, 2026
Guide · Brewing & Gongfu

Oolong Brewing

The standing method for brewing oolong, gongfu and Western, with sourced temperatures, gram ratios, steep times, and infusion counts, and how greener and roasted leaf want different heat.

Guide · Basics

What Is Oolong Tea

Oolong is partly oxidized Camellia sinensis, made to a chosen point between green and black. This is the canonical account of what it is, how it is made, the major style families, how it tastes across the spectrum, and why it is brewed gongfu.