Preparing Puer Tea

What is Puer Tea?

All puer tea comes from the southwest regions of Yunnan, China. There are two types of puer tea: raw (sheng) puer and ripe (shu) puer. They are both called puer, but these two styles could not be more different.

What is Raw (Sheng) Puer?

Young raw puer is a simple green tea that tends to have a brisk, earthy, apricot like character with an elusive “wild” element to it that is difficult to put into words. Depending on the specific region each tea can be very different. Though aged puer gets much of the attention, the young teas are perfect to drink now and we encourage it.

What is Ripe (Shu) Puer?

Ripe puer is a dark tea (meaning it has gone through a post-fermentation process) and has a dark, barnyard, leathery character that possesses zero bitterness no matter how long you steep it. Some consider it an acquired taste, but we are big fans of it. Though ripe puer will change over time, the shift will be far less dramatic than raw puer.

What Does Puer Taste Like?

Puer can have an earthy, rich, and dark flavor. It can also be sweet and floral with a tingling sensation.

Want to Learn More?

Read our page About Puer Tea and then check out our blog post "The Thing About Puer Tea."

How to Prepare Puer Tea

Traditional Method:

• Use 3 grams of tea per 6 oz of water.
• Pour 208-212°F water over the leaves, and steep for 10-20 seconds.
• Pour off the water. This is called rinsing the leaves. It removes impurities and allows the leaves to begin opening.
• Pour in another 6 oz of 208-212°F water, steep about 30 seconds, then serve.
• The same leaves can be re-steeped in a similar fashion 4-8 times, perhaps adding 15-30 seconds to each steeping time.

Western Method (a stronger cup):

• Using the same proportions of tea and the same water temperature as above, Puer can be brewed almost indefinitely: five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, even 50 minutes.
• When Puer is steeped a long time it can become as full-bodied and dark as coffee, but it never turns bitter, acidic, or astringent. It just gets stronger, thicker, fuller, and sometimes sweeter.
• This is a very untraditional preparation method.

*Three grams of Puer is approximately 1 measuring teaspoon. Whether it is a loose leaf Puer or a Puer cake/brick, the quantity should be roughly the same.

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