Steeping Pu-erh Best Practice

[thirtytwopaths]

Hi all,

Just tried out my first pu-erh from Rishi (the Ancient Pu-erh Maiden http://bit.ly/3SbFj ). The directions say to use 1 "Tablespoon" for 8 ounces of water and to steep for 5-6 minutes. I tried this and the end result was an extremely intense flavor with a rather unpleasant astringency on the finish. My understanding is that pu-erhs dont get bitter so I am a little confused as to why this is happening.

*EDIT* What do you all believe to be "best practice" in terms of brewing methods, times, and quantities?

[brad4419]

Hi all,

Just tried out my first pu-erh from Rishi (the Ancient Pu-erh Maiden http://bit.ly/3SbFj ). The directions say to use 1 "Tablespoon" for 8 ounces of water and to steep for 5-6 minutes. I tried this and the end result was an extremely intense flavor with a rather unpleasant astringency on the finish. My understanding is that pu-erhs dont get bitter so I am a little confused as to why this is happening. My question to you all is what is the proper brewing method that I should be following?

I have read that the "western" style of steeping (long steep times) is not really correct and can make for a not so pleasant experience. If I choose to use the gongfu style of short steeps, would the proper amount be 1-2 "teaspoons" as opposed to 1 tablespoon for 30,40,50 seconds etc?

Any help is appreciated.

Welcome to teachat thirtytwopaths

What are you using to brew the tea?

I don't have any experience brewing puerh western style so Im not much help here but I would try using 1 tablespoon for 1-2 minutes and see how it comes out. If its still too astringent brew for less time until you find what you like.

For Gong Fu I use about 3 grams of leaf in a 100ml gaiwan and infuse 20sec for first with an unheated gaiwan then 10 second infusions following.

You might already know this but puerh leaf can be infused many times for more cups of tea than most other teas.

[hooksie]

All depends on your definition of "correct".

Anyways, I've never tried this tea personally (or the loose leaf pu at all for that matter), but here is what I use for my fermented (commonly known as "shu" or "shou") pu. It's a gong-fu-esque method like you mentioned.

This is the brewing method I was suggested from coloradopu.

Always using boiling water.

In a small brewing vessel (<150ml), fill 1/3 with leaf and start out a brew for 60 seconds. Throw that steep out. Repeat once.

Then, next, steep for 15-20 seconds. Drink this one and subsequent steeps. Next steep, 20 seconds. Next steep 20-25s, then 25-30s, then 30-35, etc until the tea no longer yields anything worthwhile.

Hope that helps.

[tacobell]

What he said

I think steeping alost any tea for five minutes is a set-up for astringency. I tend to was my leaves first, just wetting them with hot water and pouring it off immediately. I think this does two things. First, washes off any impurities (read pesticides) on the surface, and second, allows the leaves to open a bit. This is perhaps more important with some Oolong, such as TKY, as they are tightly coiled, but I think it applies to Pu Erh as well.

Happy quaffing

[hooksie]

What he said

I think steeping alost any tea for five minutes is a set-up for astringency. I tend to was my leaves first, just wetting them with hot water and pouring it off immediately. I think this does two things. First, washes off any impurities (read pesticides) on the surface, and second, allows the leaves to open a bit. This is perhaps more important with some Oolong, such as TKY, as they are tightly coiled, but I think it applies to Pu Erh as well.

Happy quaffing

It's not always pesticides you're washing off. After all, the tea was fermented (ie microorganisms involved), not exactly the cleanest procedure in the world.

[thirtytwopaths]

Thank you all for the advice! Quick question for Hooksie, seeing as I do not have a brewing vessel that is less than 150ml to fill 1/3rd, how many teaspoons would you guess is that amount in tea?

[hooksie]

Best guess, somewhere around 2 good sized teaspoons, maybe a touch less. That's about how much I used with about 135ml of water. If you're willing to wait, I can give you a better approximation in a couple hours when I am no longer at work (and thus back home with my gaiwan).

[thirtytwopaths]

@Hooskie, thanks! that would be great, keep me posted as to what you measure out.

So from what I have gathered, best practice for making pu-erh is to get a Yixing pot and brew it according to that size?

I get the feeling that the western style produces too harsh of a brew that can be rather unpleasant if left for too long. Alternately, I tried using 1 "teaspoon" with 8 ounces of water at 30,40,50 seconds etc but I feel as though it was a little diluted and not representative of how pu-erh should be made.