Need some advice re: raw pu'er
Hello:
After an initial trial, I jumped on to the ripe pu’er bandwagon and now drink 2-4 cups a day.
I’ve been listening to some of the comments about sheng (raw) pu’er. It sounds like many people really enjoy it, although it appears to be an acquired taste. As I understand it, sheng that is only a few years old is often considered “young” and that people look forward to the flavour maturing as it continues to age over decades.
1. Does that mean that “young” (eg: 2014) sheng really isn’t that drinkable, and should really be left for 5-10 years? Or is it quite enjoyable right away, and will continue to evolve over time?
2. I’m thinking of ordering some sheng samples. As a starting point, would you suggest that I brew it similar to how I brew my shou (ripe)? Or should I approach it differently?
I used to think that young sheng was somewhat undrinkable and it is something of an acquired taste. However if you get good young sheng it will be worlds apart from average young sheng. One blend of young sheng that helped change my opinion on sheng in general was the 2014 Wild Monk from Mandala Tea. I think it is still available at www.shopmandalatea.com. There are a number of teas reviewed on Steepster that fit this category. They quickly lose their bitterness when resteeped or have none at all depending on the tea. On the other hand, “bad” young sheng teas will not have these beneficial characteristics. Young sheng will always be different from aged or semi aged sheng which are just in a different category.
Another strategy is to purchase older shengs. There is a sweet spot of 8-10 years old where you can find teas at a reasonable price. These tend not to be the best teas, but can be more approachable.
You are going about it the right way. Buy a few samples and see how you like it. As AllanK said, steepster reviews can help you find approachable teas to sample.
Younger shengs are often cheaper but I find the ones that are great young (not as dry/bitter/smokey) jump in price.
Young shengs do great with a lower water temp, like 185f, which makes it less bitter. https://www.white2tea.com/2015/01/15/best-water-temperature-brew-puerh-tea/ However, you don’t get the full punch of the tea, if that makes sense. I’ve been doing boiling as I’m totally yolo but find what works for you.
Reviews can help a lot. In terms of Sheng puerh can vary a lot depending on storage and the age of the of the tea itself. Bad stored tea will never taste good. Sheng and shou are both affected by this. Sheng I would brew gong fu with very short steeps to keep the bitterness down. Some will be bitter no matter how short the steeps, Lao Man’e and Mang Fei come to mind in this category. That doesn’t mean you wont ‘learn’ to like an aspect in time. Explore and read and sample plenty you will find your niche out there.
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