How to brew Pu-erh

You need nothing but a knife, hot water and a cup or pot.

Your first infusion in 3 steps

Two gloved hands use a tea needle to loosen a piece from the edge of a Pu-erh cake

1. Break off

Use a knife or tea needle to loosen 5 g from the edge, about a heaped teaspoon.

Glass pitcher with a light infusion and two glass cups on a wooden board

2. Wake it up and infuse

Pour hot water over the tea briefly, then discard it. Then let it steep for about 2 minutes. The same leaves give you five more infusions.

A woman pours light tea from a small glass pot into a small glass cup in her hand

3. Enjoy

Three minutes without your phone.

There are two ways: Western in a cup or pot, simple and relaxed, and Gongfu in a small vessel with many short infusions, more intense in flavour. The steps above show the Western way, the table both.

Amount, water and steeping time by tea

Tea	Amount	Water	Steeping time	Infusions
Sheng cake, Western	4–5 g	300 ml · 85–90 °C	2 min.	several, +30–60 sec. each
Sheng cake, Gongfu	5 g	100 ml · 90–95 °C	10–15 sec., then +5–10 sec. each	8–12; rinse 5 sec. first
Shou portion (Jin ke), Western	1 piece (5 g)	300 ml · 95 °C	2–3 min.	several, +30–60 sec. each
Shou, Gongfu	5 g	100 ml · 95–100 °C	15 sec., then +5–10 sec. each	8–10; rinse 5 sec. first
Sheng mini tuocha, Western	1 piece (6–8 g)	250 ml · 90–95 °C	2 min.	5–8, +30–60 sec. each
Sheng mini tuocha, Gongfu	1 piece (6–8 g)	120–150 ml · 90–95 °C	10–15 sec., then +5–10 sec. each	6–8; rinse 5 sec. first
Pu-erh extract (Shazhi)	1 portion (0.5 g)	150–200 ml · 90–95 °C	2–3 min., stir until dissolved	no strainer, no rinse