What Is Pu'erh Tea? Raw vs Ripe, Taste and How to Brew It
Teatentional
Most tea is best fresh. Pu'erh is the exception. It is a fermented tea from Yunnan province in southwest China that keeps changing for years after it is made, slowly growing smoother, deeper and more complex. Good pu'erh is collected and aged the way some people collect fine foods, and a well-kept cake can last for decades.
If you have only had bagged black or green tea, pu'erh will taste like something new. Here is what it is and how to enjoy it.
Where Pu'erh Comes From
Pu'erh (also spelled pu-erh or pu'er) is named after the town of Pu'er in southern Yunnan, an old trading center where tea from the surrounding mountains was bought and sold. Yunnan is part of the region where the tea plant first grew, and some of its tea trees are hundreds of years old.
For centuries, Yunnan tea was steamed and pressed into cakes and bricks so it could travel the long mountain trails of the Tea Horse Road into Tibet. Over those long journeys and years of storage, the tea slowly fermented, and people found they liked it better that way. You can read that story in Chinese Tea Culture.
Today, China protects the name. Under its national standard from 2008, true pu'erh must be made from Yunnan's large-leaf tea, sun-dried and processed within a protected zone in Yunnan.
Raw vs Ripe Pu'erh
There are two main kinds of pu'erh, and they taste very different.
Raw pu'erh (sheng)
Raw pu'erh is the traditional style. The leaves are picked, lightly heated, rolled, sun-dried and then often pressed into cakes. Then time does the work. When young, raw pu'erh can be bright, floral and a little bitter or astringent. Over years of storage, natural microbes and slow oxidation change it. It turns darker, smoother and sweeter, with notes of dried fruit, honey, wood and earth. A well-aged raw pu'erh is prized, and the best can be steeped many times.
Ripe pu'erh (shou)
Ripe pu'erh is a modern invention. Because aging raw pu'erh takes so long, tea factories in Yunnan developed a faster method in 1973 called wo dui, or wet piling. The leaves are piled up, kept moist and turned for weeks, which speeds up fermentation. The result is dark, smooth and earthy right away, with low bitterness and a deep, mellow flavor.
- Raw: starts green and lively, ages slowly over years, complex and changing.
- Ripe: dark and smooth from the start, earthy and mellow, ready to drink now.
Cakes, Bricks and Loose Pu'erh
Pu'erh comes in many shapes. The classic form is a round, flat cake, often wrapped in paper. There are also bricks, small bowl-shaped nests called tuocha, and loose leaf. To brew a pressed cake, gently pry off a small piece with a pick or butter knife, working along the layers so you do not crush the leaves.
What Does Pu'erh Taste Like?
Words people often use for pu'erh include earthy, woody, smooth, rich and sweet. Raw pu'erh can taste of honey, apricot, flowers or camphor. Ripe pu'erh tends toward dark chocolate, damp forest and molasses. Some first-time drinkers find the earthiness surprising. A short rinse before brewing, and short steeps, keep it clean and smooth.
Pu'erh does contain caffeine, usually in a similar range to black tea. Many people drink it after a heavy meal, which is a long tradition in southern China.
How to Brew Pu'erh
Pu'erh is made for multiple steeps. It is a good tea for a long, slow afternoon, the kind Portland's rainy season gives us plenty of.
- Measure: about 1 teaspoon per 8 oz for a mug, or more leaf in a small pot for short gongfu-style steeps.
- Rinse: pour boiling water over the leaves, wait about 10 seconds, and pour it out. This wakes up the leaves and rinses away dust.
- Steep: use water at 200 to 212°F. For a mug, steep 2 to 4 minutes. For gongfu style, start with 15 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat: add more hot water and steep again, a little longer each time. Good pu'erh can go 8 to 10 rounds.
A teapot or cup with an infuser makes this easy. Our 20 oz ceramic teapot and infuser or a ceramic tea cup infuser both work well.
How to Store Pu'erh
Unlike most teas, pu'erh needs a little air. Keep it in its paper wrapper or a breathable container, away from light, strong smells and damp. Do not keep it in the fridge. Stored well, raw pu'erh keeps improving for years. For more on keeping tea fresh, see Does Tea Expire?
Our Pu'erh Teas
Mengku Iceland Pu'erh Raw Tea
A raw sheng pu'erh from the ancient tea mountains of Mengku in Yunnan, aged 20 years. Earthy, floral and honeyed, with a long, smooth finish. Rinse once, then steep in short rounds. It can be re-steeped 8 to 10 times.
Earl Grey Cream Pu'erh
A friendly way into pu'erh: earthy pu'erh with cornflowers and a smooth bergamot cream flavor. Great on its own or as a latte.
Steep intentionally. Sip with intention.
Related Reading
Learn where it all began in The History of Tea and Chinese Tea Culture, or compare tea types in The 6 Types of Tea Explained and What Is Oolong Tea?
