Bittered Puer

[takchi11]

Should puer be bittered? Does that mean it is brewed too long? I always thought a good puer should not be bittered and should be kum (pronounced in Cantonese).

[gingkoseto]

Are you talking about sheng or shu? I think what you said "a good puer should not be bittered and should be kum" is partially why Cantonese love shu, and when they invented fast fermentation of puerh. So I guess it depends on personal preference. I would never have a sheng with a meal, while shu would be fine for me. But for tea drinking alone, I often prefer the bitterness of a sheng to any shu. To me, the good bitterness doesn't stick to the tongue. It hits the tongue briefly, and soon turns into honey tone or some sort of aroma and sweet aftertaste.

[debunix]

My favorite puerhs include many that are quite bitter if brewed long/strong, but deliciously sweet when brewed short/dilute--those inspire more intense devotion than some very lovely shus that have no bitterness but also not the fantastic long sweet aftertaste of the best young shengs.

As to whether they 'should' be....that's up to your preferences.

[zzenster]

I am not an expert in puer tea but puer tea supposed to be bitter and pungent. This is more evident in new tea (xin cha). As they age, bitter and pungent tastes dissipate and turn darker and sweet ( but not like sugar sweet). Bitterness also varies with amount of tea that you use, infusion time, different grades, and origins.. just too many factors.

[takchi11]

Are you talking about sheng or shu? I think what you said "a good puer should not be bittered and should be kum" is partially why Cantonese love shu, and when they invented fast fermentation of puerh. So I guess it depends on personal preference. I would never have a sheng with a meal, while shu would be fine for me. But for tea drinking alone, I often prefer the bitterness of a sheng to any shu. To me, the good bitterness doesn't stick to the tongue. It hits the tongue briefly, and soon turns into honey tone or some sort of aroma and sweet aftertaste.

I don't remember if it was a sheng or shu when I drank because someone else brewed it and tasted bitter. This Saturday, I visited my good tea friend in Flushing, Queens who brewed a 30 years shu puer and it is excellent. I drank with them for a few hours. Thanks for the clarification.

[zzenster]

I don't remember if it was a sheng or shu when I drank because someone else brewed it and tasted bitter. This Saturday, I visited my good tea friend in Flushing, Queens who brewed a 30 years shu puer and it is excellent. I drank with them for a few hours. Thanks for the clarification.

You know your friend with a 30 year old puer? Make him your best friend. That's a hard find! Enjoy!

[AlexZorach]

I actually prefer younger sheng that is more bitter. I've enjoyed sheng Pu-erh as young as 2 years old, but this morning I'm drinking one that is about 5 years old and that has significant bitterness still. To me, these sorts of teas make better brisk breakfast teas. I can't imagine drinking a mellow shu Pu-erh or highly aged sheng Pu-erh for breakfast, but young sheng really hits the spot.

It's really a matter of personal taste. For me, bitterness is a quality that I tend to like in teas, especially the first tea of the day. One of the reasons that I like shu Pu-erh less is that it lacks that bitter quality.

[solitude]

A nice thing about the puerhs is that you can find many kinds which can differ a lot. If I have mood for something smooth, mellow, sweet I pick aged shu. But If I have taste for something intense, floral, bitter-sweet and something what gets me high I go for a young sheng. Aged sheng is an another category, expensive, but one of the best one .
Sometime when I am "saturated" with tastes a good young sheng can open new doors and get me really excited.
So nothing left just read, try and find what is good for you.

[bagua7]

Should puer be bittered? Does that mean it is brewed too long? I always thought a good puer should not be bittered and should be kum (pronounced in Cantonese).

Use a proper Yixing pot (low fired, high profile) to lower the amount of bitterness if you dislike it.