Pu'er tea is a fairly common type of tea that we often Drink in our daily lives because of its sweet and clear taste, which suits the palates of younger drinkers; it isn't bitter. However, it's important to know that after several infusions, the color of the Pu'er tea will fade and lose much of its flavor. Therefore, Pu'er tea can be continuously infused about 15 times before needing to be replaced. It's also important to note that the water temperature for brewing should be between 95 to 100 degrees Celsius.
How Many Times Is Best to Infuse Pu'er Ripened Tea?
Pu'er tea is more durable than most other types of tea and can typically be continuously infused over 10 times until the infusion becomes very light. Pu'er tea is usually brewed with boiling water at 95-100°C. High temperatures help release the aroma and facilitate the quick extraction of the tea's flavors. When boiling pure or mountain spring water, avoid excessive boiling to prevent a lack of oxygen in the water, which could affect the tea's activity.
To ensure a purer aroma, a preliminary rinse, known as “water washing the face,” may be necessary where the first infusion of boiling water is immediately poured out. Before the formal brewing of Pu'er tea, a warming process is generally required, which can be done 1-2 times. This not only removes any impurities from the Pu'er tea and cleans the leaves but also serves to awaken the tea. However, the rinse must be quick to avoid affecting the taste of the tea broth. The second infusion is the first to be consumed, with a Steeping time of 10-20 seconds. The third infusion should be longer than the second, around 30-40 seconds. Starting from the fourth infusion, we need to carefully observe the color of the broth to gauge the amount of dissolved substances and control the steeping time. The more times the tea is infused, the lighter the concentration of the tea, thus allowing for longer steeping times for subsequent infusions.
Pu'er tea is one of the more durable tea varieties, with most ripened teas able to withstand 8-10 infusions. Younger raw teas can be infused up to 15-20 times, while older teas are even more durable.
If you use a ratio of 200 milliliters of water to 5 grams of tea, one Cup can be infused 5-7 times. First, rinse the tea once. After each infusion, pour out all the tea broth to drink. Generally, Pu'er tea should be brewed with 7 grams of tea for every 200 milliliters of water and infused around 7 times. For 5 grams of tea, use a 150 milliliter cup and infuse it 7 times.
Pu'er tea is generally quite durable (especially ripened teas), and should last for 8 or more infusions, but fewer than 15. (The exact number depends on whether you prefer stronger or milder tea.) By durability, we mean that the tea can undergo multiple infusions without a significant change in its broth color and flavor. Pu'er tea is indeed very durable. What we see on the surface is just part of the story; its durability is due to the substances within the tea. Large-leafed Pu'er tea trees have grown for hundreds or even thousands of years, accumulating rich nutrients in their leaves and buds. These nutrients take many infusions to fully release, which is why we find Pu'er tea so durable. The number of infusions is influenced by factors such as water temperature, quality of the tea, amount of tea used, age of the tea, and the duration of each infusion, but 10 grams of ripened Pu'er tea can withstand at least 8 infusions.
The Durability of Pu'er Tea Is Linked to Stems
Generally, stems affect the appearance of tea, so people often overlook the advantages of tea stems and tend to disregard them. However, they do not realize that tea stems play a crucial role in the quality of tea.
By durability, we mean that the tea can undergo multiple infusions without a significant change in its broth color and flavor. Pu'er tea is indeed very durable. What we see on the surface is just part of the story; its durability is due to the substances within the tea. Large-leafed Pu'er tea trees have grown for hundreds or even thousands of years, accumulating rich nutrients in their leaves and buds. These nutrients take many infusions to fully release, which is why we find Pu'er tea so durable.
Stems contain a considerable amount of aromatic compounds. The aroma in tea decreases from the first leaf to the third leaf, while the aroma in stems is the highest. Aromatic compounds in tea are mainly found in the stems and main veins of young leaves, and amino acid levels in young stems are higher than in young leaves. The vascular bundles in stems are the primary conduits for nutrients and aromatics. Most of the substances they contain are water-soluble. During Tea processing, aromatics evaporate from the stems into the leaves along with water. Once transferred to the leaves, these substances combine with the effective components in the leaves to form richer and more intense aromas.