So I just got my shipment of Pu-erh tea in yesterday and I was super excited to have some. So I brought one of the samples with me to school and put it in a little water. I then waited for it to seperate and steep and I took a sip. It was what I expected....similar to green tea with more earthy, tabacco tones....Overall very nice. Well, as my teacher kept lecturing, the tea kept steeping. By the end of the class, the tea was INSANELY bitter. And I have had tons of bitter teas but this was different. It tasted bad....so bad in fact that 1 hour later, I actually vomited.....I was in shock and I havent vomited in years and I couldn't believe that a tea could do it to me. I am drinking some right now in fact,....but I didn't allow this one to oversteep.....Is oversteeped pu-erh just that much worse than other teas.....All in all I am confused but I am not letting it create some stupid "taste aversion" to my newly acquired pu-erh teas........As a child, I had some bad butter with lobster when I was 8. It made me so sick and I attributed it to the lobster so for the next 10 years, I didnt eat lobster again until I was 18.....when I tried it again and realized that it's great! Anyhow, I figured I would share my bizarre story in the off-chance that some of you may have experienced similar effects with oversteeped pu-erh tea specifically or even other teas.....Thx.
Pu-erh
- Thread starter waitasecun
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pu-erh is very strong and will turn very bitter if the infusion time is too long. I once let a pot go for just a few minutes while on the phone and it was so astringent I had to pour it out. The reason for this bitterness or astringency in long infusions is the same reason that the tea will last for a dozen or more infusions with infusions lasting in the range of seconds. So, bottom line is that your experience is really a result of improper infusion of the tea. I have had a poor tea drinking experience with just overbrewing some teas for a period of 15 seconds so I can imagine that your experience was outrageous.
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wow......well, the second time I brewed it, I let it steep in 195F water for appx 3 minutes....tasted just fine.....I guess it has a ton of tanic acid in it and since I hadnt really eaten anything, it was too much for my stomach to take. Thx for the info.
I don't ever brew puerh that way because of the bitterness. I only brew it when I can pay attention and monitor the steep times carefully. Overbrewed houjicha or oolong I can deal with. Not so puerh.
I've overdone the sheng, but not shu and haven't been able to overdo a shu. Sometimes my first steep of 7g in a 150ml gaiwan runs over 1 minute. It gets really strong, but none of that nasty bitterness. Suits this barbarian just fine, since I prefer oxidized (oolong and red) to green tea. Not that I've tried more than the sampler from jas-etea.
Is it just me, or is shu generally less subject to this bitterness?
Is it just me, or is shu generally less subject to this bitterness?
Shu generally lacks the bitterness. I've never had a bitter shu... doesn't mean that there aren't any but I believe that is one of the things that fermentation is meant to remove.
So I like shu. Most don't. Still, over a minute on a first steep? You lose any subtlety into that deep wo dui funk of old gym socks, mushrooms, and loam. I really recommend shortening that first steep drastically.
So I like shu. Most don't. Still, over a minute on a first steep? You lose any subtlety into that deep wo dui funk of old gym socks, mushrooms, and loam. I really recommend shortening that first steep drastically.
Could I ask which pu-erh tea you used? So you must have steeped it for over 20 mins
Once in a while, I like a wo dui funk of old gym socks.
But, no, I don't do that all the time. Typically, 10-20 seconds, or use a lot less tea.- Thread starter
- #9
Could I ask which pu-erh tea you used? So you must have steeped it for over 20 mins
it was the 2008 Menghai "7452"(801) Raw Pu-erh sampler from JAS eTea and yes it was well over 20 minutes......more like 2 hours.....
Thank you very much for letting us know and I hope this experience doesn't put you off with pu'erh.
I cannot imagine what it would be like if I use Nadacha 2010 Bulang and brew for 2 hours ...
This depends on the tea. I've had pu-erhs that tasted like chewed aspirin if I let them go a second longer than I should, and I've also had teas you could forget about for a minute or more and still be drinkable. Some cakes (even shu cakes) can be quite forgiving. But, yes--what the OP is describing is a result of massive overbrewing of a not-especially-forgiving tea.
What the Chinese typically do for this sort of situation is to bring a thermos of hot water & a brewing vessel (anything from a nice gaiwan to a mason jar, from what I hear) and refill or top off the tea as needed. Even if you're diluting some already brewed tea, that should keep it from getting bitter like that.
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- #12
Like I said in one of the earlier posts, I am not put off by it at all. I just was shocked it had such a strong effect on me. I am actually drinking a cup as we speak....Not of that one though....the sampler of that one is finished......but of one of the other samplers....I don't think anything could put me off pu-erh or tea......it was a freak event....I was just afraid that my mind's taste aversion/association of pu-erh and getting sick would have been to strong but I think I have control over my mind more than when I was a kid and ate the lobster.
One thing to try is, instead of brewing large amounts for long periods, brew a smaller amount & keep resteeping. Any Chinese tea will have at least three infusions, and I'd be surprised if any pu-erh had less than four or five, if brewed correctly.
Holy smokes Batman! That is a serious infusion. If you are out and about and want to enjoy pu-erh, I have sometimes useds styrofoam cups. You punch some holes in the one cup that will hold the tea leaves and place it inside the other cup. Place your cup with the holes and tea leaves in another cup and pour your boiling water over the tea. After the appropriate amount of time, you remove the cup with the tea in it leaving the second cup with your infused tea. Place your cup with holes and tea in it in yet another cup. This allows you to carry some tea in your pocket with no significant equipment as long as there is hot water available.
You need to make an environmentally friendly version. Take three reusable, stackable plastic cups that stand up to hot water, one slightly larger than the others, poke a few small holes in one of the smaller cups, insulate the larger one, add a lid, and maybe a small pouch on the side of it. voila! The jas-e-portable tea kit. (say it out loud)
I have a question about Pu-erh tea. I tried the green version and rinsed it with boiling water. Infused a very short time for the 1st infusion. It tastes like no other tea that I have had. Is this an acquired taste? I was not bad but just very "complex" and very different from other teas that I have had.
thanks,
Richard
thanks,
Richard
It is very much an acquired taste.* It can be delicate and complex or brash and bold. I have found that it takes practice and a bit of desensitization to certain flavors that are prevalent in young sheng. You learn to "taste around" the bitterness or astringency and there can be wonderful flavors lurking there 
* The natural punchline seems to be "I acquired some and tasted it." Badum-ching.
* The natural punchline seems to be "I acquired some and tasted it." Badum-ching.
If the tea is confused, use less tea and/or shorten your seep times. Experiment and consider it a challenge, as the perfect cup of tea has yet to be brewed.
Well, to me, all other teas are only soft stuffs, whereas pu'erh is the real hard stuff!
