Pu-erh Infusion questions/New Guy

[benwahl]

On my second pot of Pu-erh and it's a ripe 2006- 20sec. rinse- then 20-30 second infusion first pot and it seems light (see pic) compared to a 2009 I tried first- the 2009 was almost the color of coffee. The flavor is very mild.
Questions:
1- when do you start to time the infusion- pouring the h2o to complete pour of tea into pot or some time in-between?
2- Until I get scales- about how much tea in teaspoons should I use to get 5-7 grams ( I know this may be off but I got no idea)
3- On my first session I got 6 pots before it really fell off- upping my steep times 10sec. a pot- what should be my goal starting off?
4- I may be heavy on the h2o so I may convert 120ml to cups and give that a try- how do you know if your tea is to weak?
I'm stoked about the tea and really enjoying the Pu-erh along with some green tea I have. Been doing some readying but there is so much to learn. I may build my own tea tray out of some sassafrass wood I have. Next up to purchase it a set of scales and a better strainer.

 

[benwahl]

Ok- just did infusion with 4oz instead of I think more like 12 to be honest-for 35sec. and new ball game. Not bitter but peppery- getting Carmel,hay, and tobacco flavors. Maybe I'm just trying to brew to much at once. Still much more mild than I thought from all the reading- my mouth and head are tingling a little bit-cool.

 

[netsurfr]

Nice pic there, Ben. As you have found, different ripe teas brew up differently. Sometimes a younger tea will brew up darker than a more aged one. It is all part of the fun of experimenting. As for your questions:
1- when do you start to time the infusion- pouring the h2o to complete pour of tea into pot or some time in-between? I time my infusions from completion of pour on the tea to completion of pour into the drinking cup. If I am using a Yixing pot that requires 10 seconds to empty the pot and I want a 10 second infusion, then that means that I start pouring off the tea liquor as soon as I fill up the pot.

2- Until I get scales- about how much tea in teaspoons should I use to get 5-7 grams ( I know this may be off but I got no idea) This really depends on the compression of the original tea but as an approximation you could use about 1 heaping teaspoon for 7 grams.

3- On my first session I got 6 pots before it really fell off- upping my steep times 10sec. a pot- what should be my goal starting off? I generally get between 9 and 12 infusions of tea during a session. During the later infusions, it may take as much as a minute or two to get all of the essence from the tea. For older teas, I have been able to get 20 or more infusions from it.

4- I may be heavy on the h2o so I may convert 120ml to cups and give that a try- how do you know if your tea is to weak? If the tea does not suit your taste, try infusing a bit longer. There are no rules about your tea being too weak or too strong other than the ones you create. For green pu-erh, you will know it is too strong when it is too astringent for your taste buds.

Best regards,
Steve
www.JAS-eTea.com

 

[ouch]

Steve gives some solid advice here. I'd add that I think you can learn more about brewing by drinking sheng instead of shu, the latter not yielding as wide an array of flavors.

 

[benwahl]

Steve,
Thanks so much! I'm really enjoying the tea I got from JAS-e tea.com I've started using 6oz h2o and working on steeping times. Both of the ripe pu-erh teas I got are different but both have very suddle flavors. I can detect a change in flavor from one infusion to the next but again very suddle. I have been doing more reading and really just enjoying the tea. Thanks Again
Ouch,
I hate to be ignorant but I am- I'm assuming sheng and shu are refering to green and ripe pu-erh tea- but I'm really not to sure? I would like to try a green pu-erh and that an a oolong are next on my list. I've been reading some older post and think it's really cool to see that you guys have been at this for years and see what your drinking and saying about teas over the years- very cool way to learn.

 

[Doc4]

I'm assuming sheng and shu are refering to green and ripe pu-erh tea- but I'm really not to sure? I would like to try a green pu-erh and that an a oolong are next on my list. I've been reading some older post and think it's really cool to see that you guys have been at this for years and see what your drinking and saying about teas over the years- very cool way to learn.

shu = ripe/cooked
sheng = raw/green

 

[ouch]

shu = ripe/cooked/compost
sheng = raw/green/the good stuff

Fixed it for you.