Making oolong tea leaves is among the most difficult teas to process because of the precision involved. But learning how to make oolong milk tea is pretty easy, and once you taste these drinks you may find yourself making these recipes all the time.
Like with many recipes, the ingredients matter and using premium tea leaves will go a long way when it comes to flavor. We put together an oolong tea recipe list because of the interesting and unique flavors that come from this type of tea.
Jump to a Recipe for Quicker Reference:
1. Oolong Milk Tea With Almond Milk, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Honey
2. Oolong Milk Tea With Maple Syrup
3. Oolong Coconut Milk Tea
4. Iced Oolong Milk “Bubble Tea” With Chai Seed
5. Iced Vanilla Oolong Latte
6. Creamy Oolong Chai Iced Tea
7. Bubble Oolong Tea
Tips On How To Make The Oolong Milk Tea Recipe Taste Better
Since oolong tea, also known as oolong bubble tea, varies greatly in oxidation levels and processing techniques the ideal brewing temperatures and steeping times can vary. We recommend that you ask your tea vendor for brewing instructions specific to the tea you purchased. Here are some more general oolong tea brewing tips:
- Use fresh, pure, cold filtered water. Spring water is best.
- Since loose leaf tea has a lot of benefits you should use that instead of tea bags.
- Because styles of oolongs vary so much, steeping temperature and time can vary as well. Generally, oolongs are steeped anywhere between 180 and 200 degrees for 60 seconds to 3 minutes.
- If you don’t have an electric kettle with temperature control you should remember that sea level water simmers at 190 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. The boiling temperature drops about a degree for every 100 feet in altitude increase.
- Most oolong teas are designed to steep multiple times. Each steeping unfurls the rolled or twisted leaves just a little more, revealing even more layers of the flavor profile intended by the tea master who created the tea. It is not uncommon to get 3 to 5 infusions out of a high-quality oolong.
- Avoid over steeping your oolong tea. Many oolongs are designed to taste best with multiple short infusions. Taste your tea after the recommended steeping time and then decide if you’d like it to steep a little longer.
- If your oolong tea came with specific recommendations for brewing, use those. But using about 2 grams of loose leaf tea per 8 oz. cup of water is a safe bet.
- Cover your oolong tea while it steeps to keep all the heat in the steeping vessel.
- Tea producers spend a lot of time mastering the art of oolong tea. To best appreciate the handcrafted flavors of an oolong tea, try sipping it plain with no additives like milk or sugar.
- For better taste you need to use quality kitchen tools.
How To Make Oolong Milk Tea – The Recipes (FINALLY!)
1. Oolong Milk Tea With Almond Milk, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Honey
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp honey
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Place oolong tea leaves into a teapot at a water temperature of 195 degrees and steep for 2-3 minutes (or to the specific teas instructions)
Step 2
Add all ingredients to the blender.
Step 3
Blend for 30 seconds and pour over ice. Enjoy several times a day!
2. Oolong Milk Tea With Maple Syrup
Ingredients
- 600 ml milk
- 4 tablespoons oolong tea leaves
- Canadian maple syrup (medium)
- goji berries, for garnish
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Pour milk and oolong tea leaves into a pan and warm over low heat without bringing to a boil.
Step 2
When the mixture is warm, turn off the heat, cover the pot and steam for 1-2 minutes.
Step 3
Pour 2 through a strainer into cups and add maple syrup. Top with scattered goji berries, as desired.
3. Oolong Coconut Milk Tea
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. oolong tea leaves
- 8 fl. oz. hot water (195°F)
- 8 fl. oz. coconut milk
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- Honey, to taste
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Place oolong tea leaves into a teapot at a water temperature of 195 degrees and steep for 5 minutes
Step 2
Cut lemongrass in half, thinly slice one section. To make an optional daisy-like garnish, cut the other segment in half and slit the ends to create a daisy-like decoration.
Step 3
Place coconut milk and sliced lemongrass in the pitcher and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the coconut milk and heat for another 30 seconds.
Step 4
Pour steeped tea into two cups. Pour warmed coconut milk through a strainer into each cup. Add honey to taste.
Step 5
Garnish with the lemongrass, if desired.
4. Iced Oolong Milk “Bubble Tea” With Chai Seed
Ingredients
- 3 oolong tea bags
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp agave nectar (or other sweetener)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup whole milk or 1/4 cup cream
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Boil 2 cups of water and steep 3 tea bags for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, stir in agave nectar, and taste and add more sweetener if desired. Allow tea to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
When the mixture iOnce cool, place 1 tbsp of chia seeds in each cup and pour about 1/4 cup of cooled tea to each cup of chia seeds (doesn’t need to be exact). Stir and let it sit for about a minute while the chia seeds “bloom.” You may need to add a little extra liquid if there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid for all the chia seeds to bloom.
Step 3
Once the chia seeds are bloomed, fill the cups with ice and divide the remainder of the cooled tea between the two cups. Top off each cup with either 1/4 cup milk or 2 tbsp cream. Stir and enjoy!Pour 2 through a strainer into cups and add maple syrup. Top with scattered goji berries, as desired.
5. Iced Vanilla Oolong Latte
Ingredients
- 2 oolong teabags
- 1 cup ice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- pinch of salt
- vanilla extract
- dash of cinnamon
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Add hot water to oolong tea bags and brew for 3-5 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Pour oolong tea over a glass of ice and add unsweetened almond milk, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
Step 3
Stir to combine and enjoy!
6. Creamy Oolong Chai Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 4 oolong tea bags or loose tea equivalent (or 2 tea bags for frugal choice option)
- ¼-1/2 cup of canned whole fat coconut milk, almond milk, or cream or half and half, or dairy-free “milk” of choice
- ½-1 teaspoon high quality vanilla (use gluten-free, if needed)
- ½-1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of cayenne (or substitute black pepper)
- 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons of raw honey, simple syrup made with honey, or stevia to taste (6-10 drop of liquid)
- Optional: A pinch of dried ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg (a pinch of all of them, or which ever ones you’d like)
How To Make This Oolong Milk Tea Recipe
Step 1
Add hot water to oolong tBrew hot tea in a coffee cup (all four) for about 4 minutes.**
Step 2
Pour brew into blender and blend with the rest of the ingredients until smooth. (It just takes a couple of pulses.)Pour oolong tea over a glass of ice and add unsweetened almond milk, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
Step 3
Fill a quart sized jar with ice (or a heat safe extra large cup) and pour tea over. Adjust flavors as needed and enjoy!
**Frugal Choice: Brew two teabags in half a cup of water and pour into blender. Then brew the same teabags in another half cup of water, and pour into blender. Proceed with step two
7. Bubble Oolong Tea
Ingredients
- 8 grams of oolong loose leaf tea
- milk (almond, soy, organic dairy)
- 1/4 c. boba
Instructions
Step 1
Combine 8 grams of Oolong loose leaf tea and hot water and let it sit for 8 minutes.
Step 2
Straight the tea over ice (200 ml) and add 60 ml of your preferred milk (almond, soy, or organic dairy milk all work well here).
Step 3
Add your preferred sweetener: brown sugar syrup, honey or maple syrup. Adjust to taste.
Step 4
In a saucepan, bring 2 c. water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/4 c. boba and stir gently until they float to the top.
Step 5
Reduce the heat to medium; simmer boba for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; let boba sit another 12 – 15 minutes.
Step 6
Add boba to your sweetened tea. Enjoy!
Information And Origin Of Oolong Milk Tea
Oolong is a tea that originated in China and also has become very popular in Taiwan. The appearance, shape and flavor of an oolong tea can vary greatly depending on the region where it’s grown and how it’s processed.
Oolong tea is not a black tea or a green tea. It really does fall into its own tea category. Oolong bubble tea may end up with more black tea characteristics or more green tea characteristics depending on the direction the tea master takes in the processing of the tea. That means when you’re making these oolong milk tea recipes that you may get a different flavor from one drink to another.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
What does oolong milk tea taste like?
How much caffeine is in oolong milk tea?
Why is oolong tea so expensive?
Final Thoughts On How To Make Oolong Milk Tea And The Recipes
Now that we know how to make oolong milk tea and have some oolong milk tea recipes to try we can gain an appreciation for this tea. Oolong tea can taste full bodied or light depending on it’s origin and how it’s processed. It can also taste. It can also be floral to grassy, and sweet to toasty. These various taste profiles will allow for the creation of a very artisanal cup of tea that we think you’ll enjoy.