Science – How to Brew Pu-erh Properly

What kind of water should I use for shu and sheng pu-erh?

Let's start with the brewing temperature. Anyone with even the slightest interest in tea and tea culture knows that the water temperature for brewing depends on the type of tea, the characteristics of the leaf, and the desired flavor. Shu pu-erh undergoes accelerated post-fermentation. A temperature of 95–100°C is generally recommended for it. For sheng pu-erh, a temperature of 85–95°C is recommended, depending on its age: for young sheng, you can start with 85–90°C, especially if the tea is slightly bitter. Aged sheng is often brewed with hotter water—95–100°C—depending on the specific tea.

It's worth noting that boiled water, that is, water heated above 90-95°C, not only disinfects but also loses its beneficial properties. Drinking unboiled water can lead to kidney stones. If you want to preserve the beneficial properties of water but don't want to risk your health, we suggest following a few simple recommendations...

Tap water should be filtered through softening filters to purify the water and preferably left to settle, ideally on shungite stones. Pure natural spring water can also be used, and under these conditions, there's no need to boil it. This way, both the water and the tea itself will retain their beneficial properties, and its flavor should be more natural, pure, and unadulterated. If you can't or don't want to follow these recommendations, brew shu pu-erh with boiling water, and for sheng pu-erh, let the water cool to the desired temperature. The most accurate way to check this is with a thermometer or a kettle with adjustable heat: a fixed 5-7 minute wait doesn't always produce the same result.

Do I need to rinse pu-erh tea and for how long?

Before drinking tea, it is usually rinsed, meaning the first steeping is discarded. However, this is not a mandatory rule for all varietal teas. Some believe that the first steeping is not discarded for white, yellow, and green teas , such as Bai Hao Yin Zhen, Meng Ding Huang Ya, or Liu An Gua Pian , as these teas don't last long enough. However, we recommend discarding the first steeping for all teas, especially pu-erh.

For pu-erh, begin with a short sparge with hot water for 3-5 seconds, then drain completely. One sparge is usually sufficient; for very dense shu, two sparges are sometimes used. The sparge infusion is not drunk and is not included in the drinking infusions.

There are two ways to rinse pu-erh tea. The first is to first wash the tea leaves in cold water, then pour hot water over them, then discard this infusion. The tea is then ready to brew and drink. The second method is to immediately pour hot water over them and discard the short rinse. For regular home brewing, the second method, without the preliminary cold water rinse, is sufficient. Why is this necessary? We warm the leaves, remove some of the surface dust, and allow the tea leaves to develop their aroma. This ensures that the next brew you drink will have a richer flavor. A short rinse, however, does not guarantee the disinfection of the tea.

There's also a common belief that shu pu-erh is disinfected by roasting before brewing, but we'd rather classify this as a pu-erh legend. There are countless such legends. For example, many are familiar with the rumor that pu-erh tea is aged in the ground for years, which is why it has an " earthy flavor ." In fact, one can only sympathize with those who know what earth tastes like. It's quite amusing to watch how tales spread. Try, for example, telling someone that to create a special aroma and better fermentation, pu-erh tea should be aged on the balcony, wrapped in a "Health" magazine, hidden in the felt boots of your third-generation great-grandfather. And don't be surprised if, after a while, someone presents you with this story as an ancient Chinese instruction manual on storing pu-erh tea.

Utensils for brewing pu-erh tea

For brewing pu-erh, it's best to use a clay teapot , ideally Yixing clay . It maintains the temperature best and allows the tea to steam more effectively—especially beneficial for strong tea lovers. This is one of the reasons why thermoses are so popular among pu-erh enthusiasts. If you're brewing young sheng or white pu-erh, you can also use a ceramic or porcelain gaiwan, a glass flask, or any teapot with a drain system.

It's worth remembering that it's common to brew only one type of tea in a single unglazed clay teapot. This is because, over time, a tea stain forms inside the teapot, which shouldn't be removed with abrasive cleaners. Porous clay can retain aromas, so using a teapot for one type of tea helps prevent them from mixing. Gradually using and caring for such teaware is called "cultivating the teapot." Therefore, if you cultivate another tea in your single clay teapot, for example, the famous light oolong tea, Tie Guan Yin, it's best to buy a different teapot for pu-erh.

How much pu-erh tea should be taken for 150, 250 and 500 ml of water?

Before brewing tea, warm the teapot by pouring boiling water into the teapot or gaiwan for half a minute. Once the teapot is warm and the water is at the ideal temperature, add loose leaf tea at a rate of 7 grams per 100 ml. This dosage is designed for a rich brew in short infusions. Beginners can start with a smaller amount—about 5 grams per 100 ml. For steeping in a mug for several minutes, use significantly fewer leaves: a starting point is about 1 gram per 100 ml.

The table shows the calculation using two starting proportions. The amount of tea can be adjusted to taste; for initial infusion experiments, a small 100–150 ml container is more convenient.

How to separate a piece of pancake and whether it needs to be chopped

If you're brewing pu'er tea pressed into a cake, brick, or tochu and want it to produce the richest infusion possible as quickly as possible, you can break off a piece of the cake with a pu'er knife and then use the same tea tool to carefully separate it into small layers, keeping the leaves intact. Insert the knife from the side between the layers of the cake and gently lift the layer. Work on a stable surface, guiding the knife away from the hand you're holding the tea with. There's no need to crush the separated piece into crumbs: small particles brew faster and make it more difficult to control the strength.

More loose leaves means faster contact with the water. If we want the tea leaves to steep for a long time, gradually releasing all their juices into the water, it's best to leave the pressed tea in its original form. There are also mini tochis with a very fine press that's simply impossible to crumble. For example, mini tochis from the Hai Sin Tang factory are famous for their pressed quality. When brewing such mini tochis, it's best to hold the first steeping longer so the well-pressed tea loses its shape and begins to swell. Only then will it begin to release its juices.

How to brew young sheng so that it doesn't taste bitter

Sheng pu-erh can become bitter if over-steeped. This tea is more delicate than shu pu-erh. Sheng is best steeped in infusions, keeping the tea leaves in the water for no more than 5 seconds for the first few steeps. If the infusion seems too weak after this, you can increase the steeping time.

Steeping is a short steeping process in which the infusion is completely drained, after which the same leaves are re-infused with fresh hot water. For young sheng, you can start with water at 85–90°C. If the tea is too bitter, reduce the steeping time, drain the infusion completely between steepings, and reduce the amount of leaves if necessary.

There's also white pu-erh—the brewing process is similar to that of young sheng. For the first two or three steepings of quality shu pu-erh, steeping is sufficient. Any tea steeped in subsequent steepings is left in the water longer, gradually increasing the steeping time by 10-15 seconds with each subsequent steeping. If the tea leaves have been in contact with water for too long, for example, more than an hour, this tea should not be consumed. The tea leaves oxidize, release tannins, and develop an unpleasant bitterness—this tea is considered harmful rather than beneficial.

It's also worth paying attention to tea additives. If you're drinking genuine, high-quality Chinese tea, never add sugar—it will overpower the tea's true flavor. If you have a cold, you can drink young sheng pu-erh tea with honey. In all other cases, adding sugar, milk, condensed milk, lemon, or buckwheat to pu-erh tea will spoil the product.

These are the key points to consider when brewing tea. We also recommend reading our article on brewing tea using Lu Yu's method . You can also purchase pu-erh tea in our online store.

Menshikov-Salyuk Dmitry Alexandrovich