Oolong tea is best prepared in the traditional style known as Gong Fu Cha, which translates as "brew tea with discipline and graceful skill." It is best to use a Yixing teapot or guywan for brewing oolong tea.

Bring spring water to a first boil and fill the empty teapot or guywan with hot water. Pour the hot water into the sharing pitcher and teacups. This purifies and warms the teaware. Fill the teapot or guywan a little less than 1/4 full with tea. Smell the aroma of the tea as the warmth from the vessel releases the fragrance of the leaves.

Pour water that has just come to a boil over the leaves in the teapot or guywan and immediately pour the infusion into the sharing pitcher. Discard this first brew. Do not drink it. This step is known as "awakening the leaves" and allows the tightly rolled or coarser oolong leaves, to open and release its flavor. A Zojirushi electric water heater or ceramic tea kettle set will be of great benefit for keeping water ready for multiple infusions at an optimal temperature.

Now the tea leaves are ready to be infused many times. Pour water that is at a first boil over the tea leaves in the pot. Pour the infusion into the sharing pitcher after 10 seconds. From the sharing pitcher the tea should be divided evenly into teacups. Each infusion will reveal a new dimension of the tea and you may find that the infusion time can be lengthened after the seventh pot.