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If you’re a tea lover, you’ve likely experienced the joy of a perfect cup of pu erh tea. Whether you’re new to the world of tea or a seasoned enthusiast, how to brew Pu erh tea is always a big question. Brewing gongfu or pu erh tea can be simple, quick, and incredibly rewarding. In just one minute, you can learn how to brew pu erh tea that captures the essence of its flavors.
What You’ll Need:
- A Gaiwan or Teapot: Essential for brewing gongfu tea. A gaiwan is perfect for loose-leaf tea, while a teapot is ideal for brewing larger amounts.
To purchase a gaiwan tea set, you can check out Purcraftea Gaiwan Tea Set
- A Few Cups: You’ll need them for sharing and enjoying your tea.
- Hot Water (100°C): Chinese tea, especially delicate varieties like puerh and oolong, requires water that’s just below boiling for optimal flavor extraction.
- Tea Leaves: The star of the show. Choose your favorite pu erh tea leaves.
- To purchase some great pu erh tea leaves, you can check out Purcraftea Pu Erh tea options.
Optional: Tea tray, fair cup, tea towel – these are great for a more authentic tea ceremony experience but aren’t necessary for a quick brew.
Step-by-Step Guide How to Brew Pu erh Tea in 1 Minute:
1. Add Pu erh Tea Leaves
The first step when asking how to brew pu erh tea is to measure the correct amount of pu erh tea leaves based on your teapot or gaiwan size and the number of people you’re serving.
Pu erh tea is categorized into Raw Tea (sheng pu erh tea) and Ripe Tea (shou pu erh tea) based on production methods and quality characteristics. To know more about the Differences Between Pu Erh Raw vs Ripe.
Here’s a quick guideline:
- For a 150ml gaiwan or tea pot, use 8g of raw pu erh, 8g of ripe pu erh.
If you’re using a larger or smaller teapot, adjust the amount accordingly.
2. Rinse the Pu Erh Tea
This step helps remove any dust from the leaves and prepares them for brewing. Pour hot water into your gaiwan or teapot, allowing the water to contact the tea leaves. The duration of this rinse will depend on the type of tea you’re brewing:
- For raw pu erh tea, a quick rinse is all that’s needed.
- For ripe pu erh , you may want to let it sit for 5-10 seconds.
After rinsing, pour the tea liquor into a separate container or over a tea pet. You can repeat this step one or two more times if you like.
3. How to Brew Pu erh Tea
Now, it’s time to brew the tea properly. Pour 100°C(212°F) hot water over the leaves in your gaiwan or teapot, allowing the water to infuse with the tea for about 5-20 seconds. This time may vary based on the type of tea, so adjust accordingly. Quickly pour the tea into your teacups or fair cup to capture the best flavor.
This step can be repeated multiple times, with each brew offering a slightly different taste. You can also extend the infusion time by a few seconds for each brew. Continue brewing until the tea becomes too weak or bland for your liking.
To learn how to brew pu erh tea by gaiwan, you can read: How to Use a Gaiwan to Brew Tea｜3-Finger Method
4. Reuse the Pu Erh Tea Leaves
After you know how to brew pu erh tea, did you know that you can reuse the tea leaves for multiple purposes? Here are a few creative ideas for what you can do with those leftover leaves:
- Make Cold Brew Tea: If your tea has become too diluted, don’t throw it away! Simply refrigerate the tea liquor for 8 hours or more to create a refreshing cold brew tea.
- Cook with Tea: Tea leaves can be used to flavor food. Stir-fry the used tea leaves with your favorite dish to add a subtle tea flavor. Try using them in stir-fry, rice, eggs, or even soups.
- Natural Fertilizer: You can also use your leftover tea leaves as a natural fertilizer for plants. Tea leaves contain nutrients that help plants grow. Just sprinkle them on the soil and mix them in. But be sure to use them in moderation to avoid altering the soil’s pH too much.
Final Thoughts:
As you can see this procedure has a lot of details, but don’t worry about about how to brew pu erh tea perfectly. Brewing pu erh tea doesn’t have to be complicated. With this simple 1-minute guide, you can enjoy high-quality, flavorful tea in no time. Whether you’re a seasoned tea lover or a newcomer, these easy steps will help you with how to brew pu erh tea like a pro. This method can also be done with other kinds of Chinese tea, but some things might need to be adjusted such as water temperature for more delicate leaves or infusion times.
For more information on breaking a pu erh tea cake prior to the ceremony—-–How to Break A Puerh Tea Cake
