A Tea Cup Dropped

Prepare the water. Heat the water to a suitable temperature for infusing the tea leaf. For high-mountain oolong, the best temperature is 90-95 degrees Celcius. [See chart.]
Heat the teapot. Pour hot water into [and over] the [empty] teapot. A heated teapot helps the tea leaves to unfurl and open. You can also smell the fragrance of the tea quicker from a heated teapot.
Prepare the tea leaves. Prepare just the right amount of tea leaves [relative to the size of the container].
Warm the decanter. Pour hot water from the teapot into the decanter to warm it. A heated decanter preserves the fragrance of the tea and also helps to the tea warm.
Add the tea. Put the right amount of tea leaves into the tea pot. High-mountain oolong tea has a compact, tightly rolled shape, so fill the pot with tea to about 1/3 its capacity.
Heat the drinking cup. Pour hot water from the tea decanter into the drinking cups. A heated drinking cup helps to preserve the fragrance of the tea.
Infuse the tea. Infuse the tea leaves using water at the appropriate temperature. Let the tea infuse for about 60 seconds [see chart], then promptly pour the tea into the decanter.
Serve and drink the tea. Pour tea from the decanter into the cups, then serve the tea and appreciate its quality while entertaining your guests.
Infuse the tea again. Infuse the high-mountain oolong tea again (a second time), shortening the infusion time to about 40 seconds, and then down to 10 or 15 seconds for the third and subsequent infusions.

Tea Infusion Chart

This chart (source unknown) shows six varieties of popular Taiwanese oolong tea, with recommended temperature of water, quantity of tea, and time for infusing them.

Taiwanese tea variety	Water temperature (Celcius)	Quantity of tea (per container)	Steep time (1st infusion)	Steep time (2nd infusion)
Baozhong tea	85-90°	1/7	60 seconds	45 seconds
Lightly fragrant oolong tea	90-95°	1/3	60 seconds	40 seconds
Heavily fragrant oolong tea	95°	1/3	60 seconds	40 seconds
Ginseng oolong tea	95°	1/4	20 seconds	10 seconds
Tie Kwan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) tea	95°	1/4	40 seconds	40 seconds
Oriental Beauty tea	85°	1/5	50 seconds	15 seconds

Processing Tea Videos

These videos were taken in Taiwan, spring 2006. They show the various steps taken in the production of oolong tea, and also some of the techniques and equipment used to process tea today.

Picking the leaves. Tea leaves are picked with thumb and index finger.
Withering the leaves. The leaves are dried in the sun to initiate oxidation.
Moving the leaves indoors. The leaves are moved indoors and rubbed gently and evenly to "bruise" them and accelerate the process of oxidation.
Removing the leaves. As the tea leaves become ready (after about 10 hours), they are removed for drying.
Drying the leaves. The leaves are dryed to stop the oxidation and remove excess (but not all) water.
Rolling the leaves. The leaves are twisted/rolled according to the type of tea that is being produced.
Drying the leaves completely. The leaves are dried completely to remove all water.
Baking the leaves. The final step in processing tea is baking the leaves.

About Tie Kwan Yin Tea

(Extra-Alpha, Poor) Translation, from Chinese. Source unknown

First of all, Tie Kwan Yin tea's origin: Legend has it that "Tie Kwan Yin tea" originated in Anxi County, Fujian Province, China. [1735-1796 CE], In the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong [1735-1796 CE], a tea farmer named "Wei Yin" made the discovery. The Wei family were serious believers in Buddhism, so Wei Yin took the tea plant for a gift bestowed by the Bodhisattva Kwan Yin, and used it to produce tea of a deep, dark heavy color resembling iron. Thus the name "Tie Kwan Yin," [or "Iron Goddess of Mercy"].

"Muzha Tie Kwan Yin tea" originated in the period of Japanese occupation [of Taiwan]. Muzha Tea manufacturing companies commissioned two tea masters, Zhang Nai Maio and Zhang Nai Qian, to introduce the tea from Anxi. They planted it behind present day Muzha Elementary school, behind the Zhinan San mountain in what is today the Zhang Hu Tourist Tea Plantation.

About West Lake Dragon Well Tea (Xihu Longjing Cha)

(Extra-Alpha, Poor) Translation, from Chinese, of The World of Chinese Tea, a book by Tea Parker

West Lake Dragon Well is very popular in Taiwan, but few people have drunk really good Dragon Well. Its reputation is great, but fakes abound. When Taiwanese people visit mainland China and seek to buy "Lion's Peak Dragon Well", the authentic leaf is very hard to come by. This is similar to the situation of Japanese tourists in Taiwan who buy oolong tea from a tourist area -- there's no way they can buy good tea worth the price they paid for it.

[Authentic] West Lake Dragon Well is a flat-style [pan-] fried green tea produced in the West Lake district [of Zhejiang province]. Only the tender, fine tips [terminal buds] and first two leaves are used; the dry leaf is a lustrous emerald color, flat, and smooth. After steeping, the tea broth is a bright blue/green color, has an original fragrance that is mild; the taste is delicious and subtle.

West Lake Dragon Well is named according to its origin of production; for instance, Lion ("Lion's Peak"), Dragon ("Dragon Well"), Cloud ( "Five Cloud Moutain"), Tiger ("Tiger Run"), Plum ("Plum Wall" [?]). Of these, Lion's Peak Dragon Well has the best reputation. So in the marketplace you see Dragon Well designated "Lion's Peak", two words that often attract the buyer.

Dragon Well tea produced for the domestic market in China can actually be classified as follows: Special Grade Lion's Peak, Special Grade Plum Wall, Special Grade Dragon Well, Superior Grade Lion's Peak, Superior Grade Plum Wall, Superior Grade Dragon Well, and then grades 1 through 6, on up to grade 12. Dragon Well produced for the international market has 8 grades.

When [the international buyer is] looking to buy top-grade Dragon Well, price becomes a deciding factor. In the larger markets, Dragon Well is not sold; this is an indication of the level of quality of tea sold there. One catty (500 grams [approx. one pound]) costs about 12,000 NT (Taiwanese dollars) [$363 at a conversion rate of $1 to 33 NT.] Such a high price still does not dissuade some buyers.

When infusing Dragon Well tea, many people mistakenly use a rather low water temperature (80-90 degrees Celcius). This is not hot enough to elicit Dragon Well's really fine taste and fragrance... One hundred degrees is needed to bring this out. Pay attention when pouring. First pour the boiling water down the inside wall of the cup, starting from the rim, letting the water enter the cup slowly in order to allow the cup enough time to absorb some of the heat. Do not pour directly over the leaves. Infusing Dargon Well in this way, you avoid ruining the delicate and tender leaf body.