Whether loose or compressed into a cake, this black tea requires special preparation. To enjoy its benefits, you need to use proper equipment, such as a Yixing teapot or a Gaiwan. Also, it's better to follow a customary Chinese method: Gong Fu Cha. Here's how to prepare Pu Erh tea, in a way that preserves its quality and flavors.
Accessories for preparing Pu Erh tea
Do you use a classic teapot to brew your teas? You can use it for your Pu Erh, but you'll appreciate its quality less. For a better tasting experience, we prefer a Chinese tea set consisting of:
- a Gaiwan or a Yixing teapot;
- one small cup or several;
- a tea pitcher or a second teapot;
- tongs, for handling heated items.
A Gaiwan is a small bowl with a lid. It can be made of glass or porcelain. This allows you to see the color of the infusion. It's also used for other teas, like Oolong tea or green teas.
A Yixing clay teapot has the particularity of "capturing" aromas. Indeed, tannin deposits in its porous material over the course of infusions. This type of teapot is appreciated for strong teas.
To avoid flooding your table, place your tea set on a special tea tray: the boat.
If your Pu Erh is loose, you can start the infusions. But how do you prepare Pu Erh tea if you have cakes? You need a tea pick to retrieve the leaves.
Taking tea leaves from a cake
Depending on its production, your fermented black tea cake is more or less compressed. To preserve the benefits and taste of your Pu Erh, you must gently separate the leaves without breaking them.
To begin, place your cake on a dedicated tray or paper. You should never start breaking your cake from the side. Its shape must be maintained as you use it. Look for a hollow on top of your cake. Take the tea pick and place it between two horizontal leaf layers. Make small rotating movements until you lift a layer. Repeat until you get the desired amount of tea. Use about 5 to 10 grams for 25 cl, depending on the tea's fermentation.
Keep only the leaves and discard the crumbs. They can alter the taste of your infusion. Let's move on to practice and see how to prepare Pu Erh tea.
Gong Fu Cha step by step
Your leaves and accessories are ready. Here are the steps of this traditional Chinese method:
- Run the equipment under boiling water to rinse and heat it
- Put the Pu Erh tea leaves in the Gaiwan or teapot
- Cover them with high-temperature water (90 to 95°C) for a few seconds to rinse and unfurl them
- Pour this first infusion over the remaining accessories
- Empty the different containers, handling them with tongs
- Repeat the process, letting it steep a bit longer
- Pour the infusion into the pitcher, then into the cup
- Wait a few minutes and time to taste!
Note that with the same amount of leaves, you can make about ten infusions. This depends, among other things, on fermentation.
Gong Fu Cha has several advantages. The small-sized containers allow, notably, to quickly lower the temperature of the drink. And putting the tea in the pitcher prevents the leaves from steeping too long, which spoils the aromas.
Beyond its flavors, this fermented tea from Yunnan helps control cholesterol. This makes it a high-quality product. It requires a few minutes of your time before tasting. But now you know how to prepare Pu Erh tea to enjoy all its benefits.