1Like most teas, oolong is made from the leaves of a flowering plant species called Camellia Sinensis.
2Harvest time is during the plant's peak growing season,
3which in Thailand is from May to November.
4Workers handpick what's known as the flush,
5a grouping of two young leaves and a bud which grows out the top of the plant.
6At this time of year, the plant produces a new flush every 7 to 15 days.
7An experienced tea master directs every phase of the processing.
8The first step of which is called solar withering.
9Workers bring the leaves into a glass roofed building,
10then spread them out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes.
11This kick-starts the oxidation fermentation process.
12As the chlorophyll enzymes inside the wilting leaves start breaking down
13at the same time, the moisture inside begins evaporating.
14Workers keep moving the leaves around to ensure a thorough exposure to the sun.
15Then they gather up the leaves for step two: indoor withering.
16The leaves lie on bamboo trays for 6 to 8 hours,
17where gently stirred every two hours, they oxidize further.
18Step three: disruption.
19The leaves go into a rotating drum.
20As they tumble, they bruise and tear.
21This breaks down the cell structures,
22enabling oxygen to penetrate deep inside,
23greatly accelerating fermentation.
24This also releases the leaf juices,
25which helps dry out the taste of the tea.
26When the tea master determines the leaves have sufficiently oxidized,
27they stop the oxidation process by tumbling the leaves in a gas heated dryer for 10 to 15 minutes.
28This fourth step of the process is called fixation
29because it fixes the oxidation at the desired level,
30which can be anywhere from 8 to 85%,
31depending on the variety of Oolong in production.
32This is the most critical part of the process
33because it determines the tea's taste, aroma and color.
34The next step forms the tea leaves into tiny pellets.
35First, workers shake the leaves on a sieve to filter out the dust-like particles.
36Then they bag the leaves in a cotton cloth
37and place them first in a kneading machine.
38Then afterward in a rolling press,
39kneading and rolling the bag, twist the leaves inside into tiny pellets.
40Forming these pellet shapes intensifies the flavor of the tea.
41And when the tea is steeped in hot water, releases that flavor slowly.
42They repeat the seething, kneading and rolling cycle up to 35 times
43until the Tea Master is satisfied with the result.
44Then and only then does the final step begin: firing.
45They transfer the tea to an oven in which it undergoes three drying cycles of 20 minutes each
46at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Celsius.
47This dries the damp tea,
48reducing the moisture content to the target level of less than 5%.
49The firing also brings out the fragrance.
50The traditional way to brew oolong is in a clay teapot
51using about two teaspoons of tea per cup.
52Ideally, the water should be 90 to 100 degrees Celsius.
53Steeping time is from 3 to 10 minutes
54and you can brew the same leaves up to five times.