There's a bit of a learning curve to making puerh tea. You'll likely find that you have a lot of questions about it. If you have a compressed puerh, you need to know how to break it up. And should you rinse you tea? What kinds of brewing vessels are best? And what about the water temperatures? How long should you brew it?

Here, you'll find answers to all these questions, plus even more tips on brewing tea (like a great way to re-brew shou puerh after you thought it was totally kicked).

Happy brewing!

Making Compressed Puerh Teas

Sure, puerh tea can be found in teabags or loose-leaf form. But more often than not, it's pressed into 'cakes' / bing, 'bricks', 'mushrooms', 'bird nests' and other shapes.

If you're making pu-erh from a compressed form of tea (rather than loose-leaf pu-erh), you'll need to gently pry off about a teaspoon or two of leaves. (The exception to this is a 'tuo cha' or 'mini tuo cha', a.k.a. a 'bird's nest puerh', which can be added whole to a pot or cup, respectively.)

To break up compressed puerh, you can use a pu-erh knife (a tool that looks a bit like a letter opener, available from most pu-erh retailers) or another small, dull knife.

Slip the knife in between a few larger leaves, working it in gradually as you go. If at all possible, ease the knife in instead of forcing it. (If you have a very compressed puerh, you may need to use force. Otherwise, gentleness is key.)

Once the knife is inserted into the puerh cake, brick or other shape, begin to gently rock it up and down (perpendicular to the blade or the flat side of the triangle) to pry off a 'flake' (a cluster of leaves) of tea.

If you're just breaking off enough tea for now, do this once or more than once as needed, until you have enough tea for the brewing vessel you'll use. Otherwise, continue until you're all done, then store your tea (preferably in an unglazed ceramic vessel with a cloth or loose-fitting lid).

How to Rinse Puerh Tea

Once you have your pu-erh leaves ready to steep, you'll likely want to 'rinse' them. It's not absolutely necessary to do this, but it serves several purposes:

1. To remove any dust that may have accumulated during the aging process (in the case of aged puerh teas)
2. To remove any tiny particles of tea that may have been broken up due to fermentation or to prying the compressed tea apart
3. To prepare the brewing vessel for brewing by warming it
4. To 'awaken' the tea (more of a cha qi thing)

To rinse your pu-erh, place the tealeaves in a brewing vessel, pour near-boiling water over them and then quickly discard the water. 

How to Brew Shou Puerh

Shou teas are pretty variable in how they can be brewed, but they are generally best with very hot water (near boiling or boiling). Depending on your personal preferences, the leaf-to-water ratio and the particular tea you're steeping, you can use a shorter steep time (as short as a few seconds for yixing teapot or gaiwan brewing) or a longer steep time (up to five or even seven minutes in a large, Western-style teapot).

Good quality puerh teas (especially organic teas) can be brewed many times. You may want to increase the steeping time in later infusions.

Personally, I love large-leaf puerh tea prepared as bowl tea or as boiled tea. I also love to boil puerh tea that I've already brewed in a side-handle pot or yixing teapot! This is a great way to get the most out of your tea and to try it in a different way.

If brewing with an yixing teapot, be sure to pour hot water over the teapot before you pour water over the tealeaves and after you put the lid back on the pot. This will keep the clay and the brew hotter, creating a more richly flavored and qi-rich drink.

How to Brew Sheng Puerh

Sheng puerh is even more variable than shou tea in its brewing. Usually, it is best with a slightly lower water temperature than shou. It's also often much better with a short steeping time (four to five minutes maximum if using Western teaware).

Unlike shou tea, sheng puerh is not an ideal candidate for boiled tea. However, it can make an excellent bowl tea (especially if it's a large-leaf mao cha, or uncompressed sheng tea), and it's great in a side-handle pot or an yixingi pot. Some people also love it in a gaiwan, though that's not my personal preference.

As with shou, if brewing with an yixing teapot, be sure to pour hot water over the teapot before you pour water over the tealeaves and after you put the lid back on the pot.