Comments on: 7 Common Questions about Pu-erh Tea

By: MM

MM — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:48:58 +0000

I’ve been to Yunnan on business, and they drink their Pu-Erh very differently…

In common business meetings, we would have compressed green tea served to us, perhaps a teaspoon in the bottom of a cup that was constantly re-filled with hot water (tea leaves were never removed, until discarded 2-4 hours later). One particularly wealthy businessman broke out the aged Pu-Erh, which was consumed in the same manner.

During one special “tea ceremony” event, I experienced the 30 second steeping method, and it was great, but mostly for show.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:52:25 +0000

Hi Diane,

I’ve picked up some pu-erh from Ten Ren here in Melbourne. While it was pretty ok, I think you could probably get better value from some of these other places. Two companies I would recommend who aren’t listed here:

http://www.banateacompany.com/
http://www.cantonteaco.com/

Both have some great pu-erhs that I’ve reviewed (http://teafinelybrewed.com/shop/types/pu-erh-tea/)

Cheers,
Eric

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:58:56 +0000

I don’t see the Ten Ren Tea Co. listed here. I’m asking since I’ve bought my first aged pu-erh teas from them locally here in the Bay Area of California. Are they considered a lesser choice than the ones listed here? Thanks for the feedback. This is a very cool site!

Cheers
Diane

By: Githe

Githe — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:24:29 +0000

Yes, I don’t know how good the bags are.They cost only R14 for 25. (South African Rand)That’a the same price as normal tea. But when I made it the first time I nearly died from the taste because it was so strong and yuck, so I’m hoping strong equals not too bad tea. I forgot to ask: is there any benefit in having only one cup a day, or should I have more.

Thank you for replying. Your site is pretty.

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:44:14 +0000

Githe,

With a tea bag, I don’t think you’ll be able to resteep it quite as often, though it does depend on the quality of the tea. I generally would suggest trying to use the bag within the same day. Though to be honest I don’t think I’ve ever had a pu-erh tea bag before!

By: Githe

Githe — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:17:21 +0000

Hello.
I was given a box of Ever Lotus Pu-Erh tea and after reading up on it I’m very excited.
Seeing that I can use the same bag for a few cups, is there any special way to store the wet bag until I use it again? How long can I keep a wet tea bag before chucking it?

Thank you.

By: Will

Will — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:22:46 +0000

Great introduction. I’ve found there is a wide variety of brewing times in different traditions. I read that Tibetans may brew their pu-erh overnight. check out my blog on this.

http://www.pu-erhteas.com/preparation-of-pu-erh-teas/

By: admin

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:17:19 +0000

I’m with Michael. I need to update this page with the Chinese techniques for brewing tea, but I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to steep pu-erh in a more traditionally Western way. I’ve done it often enough myself, and while the tea doesn’t end up being quite as interesting as when I brew it for a shorter period, I still really enjoy it. Plus, when I’m at work, I don’t have the luxury of time, so doing it the brutish way works good enough for.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:49:00 +0000

I prefer to distinguish between Western and Chinese techniques for brewing tea. I sometimes use about 3 teaspoons of Pu-Erh for a bigish cup of tea, steep it 2.5, even 3 minutes and get a dark, rich, beautifully clear brew with no bitterness. If I have more time, I go “Kung Fu” and use even more tea, do several infusions for only a few seconds, and use very small cups. It’s a totally different experience — color, smell, taste, and mood. It’s wonderful to do with a friend, I think. But I also like the 2.5-minute Western way, too. It is true, however, that steeping the last infusions for a very long time can result in some bitterness, though nothing like with other teas. I suggest experimentation and multiple modes of enjoyment!

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:15:02 +0000

Pu-Erh tea should never be steeped for 2 to 5 minutes. The only time you should steep it that long is after many shorter steeps, such as the 10th infusion. The first steep should be 10 seconds and thrown out as it cleans the tea leaves (They really are dirty, like rice or lentils), and opens up the leaves. The next 5 or 6 infusions should be brewed between 8 and 20 seconds, usually the lower end of that.

You should also use quite a bit more leaves than you think you should.

I can give you more information but this is the Gongfu style. It’s traditional but it also has a very good utilitarian value in it as well in that it gives you the most steeps while retaining the greatest amount of flavour.

The worst thing you can do is multiple steeps of a few minutes, which cooks the tea and renders it bitter. While many people say you can’t ruin pu-erh by oversteeping, it’s one of the hardest teas to brew right and is easily ruined. In fact, teas that are commonly thought hard to brew right like white teas are much easier to get right than pu-erh.