Ripe Puerh Brewing Temps
So, I know the general wisdom and norms is to brew ripe puerh at or around boiling temperatures. Just recently I came across a review of someone who said they brewed some around 190F and that it let all of the subtle flavors shine in a way that boiling water doesn’t.
Has anyone else had this experience at a lower temperature with ripes? I plan on experimenting myself but usually the lowest I have gone for ripes is around 205F.
Just like life is one big experiment, tweak some variables and check the outcomes, so it is with tea. Different ripe teas are going to have various subtleties brought out with varying temps. While one tea will work perfectly (subjective, for sure) at rolling boil, another might be your cup of tea at 190 or 195.
I get all kinds of reports from customers giving me their take on temps for brewing their favorite pu’er. I say to everyone “have fun in the world of tea!” It’s meant to be a joyful exploration, in my humble opinion.
I’m looking forward to hearing what others say here. Good post!
Thank you. Coincidentally, the tea that I am experimenting with today is your very own Noble Mark (2012)!
Yeah, tea is such a subjective subject. It is hard to get a real consensus sometimes. But that is also one of the fascinating parts of it.
Speaking of subjective, what temperature do you like to brew your ripe (or Noble Mark) at?
Ha! That’s too funny that you’re talking about that tea. It is my first tea of the morning every day and has been since 2011. I’ve done lots of playing with that tea!
I brew it at 212 and then let it cool a bit before drinking. I find that letting it come down in temp opens up a deeper layer of the tea that I don’t get when I slam it hot. I find that gives me about the same effect as brewing cooler. I do have several customers brewing that tea at 195 and say that is gives them layers of flavors they don’t get brewing it at 212. Let me know what you find in your experimentation, won’t you??? Grateful G
I will give you a secret. When you first rinse puerh with boiling water. Walk away for 10 minutes or so. The tea will often absorb about 75% of its weight on the first rinse. Letting it sit allows the tea to open up more as the water gets to the core.
Will do. Yesterday I put in quite a large chunk in my 100ml gaiwan and brewed it at 205F. I had to leave it with quite a lot of life left. Today I’ll try it much lower, around 195.
Side note: it’s probably okay to leave it for 24 hours right? Mold/bacteria growth wouldn’t have started to reach unsafe levels yet? Haha
I have had no issues brewing it the next day. I just tip the brewing vessel so it can drain and don’t worry past that.
I usually try to only use as much leaf as I plan to drink for the day, and when there is still a bit of life left in the leaves towards the end of the session, I simply boil the leaves in a pan of water on the stove for the last mug.
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