The number of steepings and the duration of each steeping for Puerh Tea can vary based on the quality of the tea and personal taste. Generally speaking, Puerh tea can be steeped three to five times, with each steeping lasting around 10-20 seconds.
The specific method for steeping Puerh tea is as follows:
For the first steeping, pour boiling Water into the Gaiwan and quickly discard it. This serves to awaken the tea.
For the second steeping, pour boiling water into the gaiwan and let it steep for 10-20 seconds before Pouring out the tea liquor. At this point, the tea liquor should have the best flavor.
For the third, fourth, and fifth steepings, pour boiling water into the gaiwan. The steeping time can be extended slightly according to personal taste before pouring out the tea liquor.
After each steeping, clean the gaiwan to maintain its cleanliness.
Puerh tea is more resilient than most teas and can typically be steeped continuously over ten times until the liquor becomes very light. Puerh tea is usually steeped with boiling water at 95-100°C. High temperatures help release the aroma and facilitate a quicker Infusion of the tea's flavors. When boiling pure or spring water, avoid excessive boiling to prevent a decrease in oxygen levels in the water, which could affect the tea's vitality.
To ensure a purer aroma, the initial steeping, known as “washing the immortal face,” should be discarded. For the actual steeping, one or two rinses are typically done not only to remove impurities and clean the leaves but also to awaken the tea. However, the rinse must be quick to avoid affecting the flavor of the subsequent steeps. The second steeping is for drinking, with a steeping time of about 10-20 seconds. The third steeping can be longer, extending to 30-40 seconds. Starting from the fourth steeping, one needs to carefully observe the color of the liquor to gauge the amount of dissolved substances and control the steeping time accordingly. As the number of steepings increases and the liquor becomes lighter, the steeping time can be extended.
Puerh tea is one of the more resilient types of tea, with typical aged teas being steeped 8-10 times. Newer raw teas can be steeped up to 15-20 times. The older the tea, the higher its resilience to steeping.
How Many Times Can Puerh Tea Be Steeped?
If steeped using a ratio of 200 ml water to 5 grams of tea, one cup can be steeped 5-7 times. One rinse is required before the actual steeping. After each steeping, pour out all the liquor to drink. Generally, Puerh tea should be steeped using 200 ml cups with 7 grams of tea, for around 7 steeps, or 5 grams of tea in a 150 ml cup for the same number of steeps.
Puerh tea is generally quite resilient (especially aged teas), and it should withstand 8 to 15 steeps (depending on whether you prefer a stronger or lighter flavor). Its resilience to steeping is due to the rich internal content that gradually releases during multiple steepings. Old-growth Puerh tea trees, having grown for hundreds or even thousands of years, accumulate abundant nutrients in their leaves, which are released gradually through multiple steepings. The number of steepings can be influenced by factors such as water temperature, the quality of the tea, the amount of tea used, the age of the tea, and the steeping duration for each steep. However, 10 grams of aged Puerh can be steeped 8 times without issue.