Brewing green, black and pu-erh tea

Same leaf, different processing

Green, black and pu-erh tea are all made from leaves of the same tea plant. Their very different colors and flavors come down to how the leaves are processed after picking. Picked leaves left out react with the air and turn brown, a change called oxidation, and where that change is stopped decides the type of tea. Drinks made from other plants, such as roasted barley or chamomile, are often called tea too, but this guide covers tea made from the tea plant.

• Green tea: heated right after picking to stop oxidation, keeping grassy notes and a clear taste
• Black tea: fully oxidized, giving a dark color, deep aroma and noticeable astringency
• Pu-erh: a tea from Yunnan in China that is aged or fermented, with earthy, mellow flavors

Tools and leaf amount

You need no special tools to brew tea: a teapot or a mug with a strainer, and some way to judge water temperature. A common starting point is about 2 to 3 grams of leaf for 150 to 250 milliliters of water, roughly one teaspoon. Large, bulky leaves look like more on a spoon at the same weight, so weighing once at the start helps you get a feel for it. Warming the cup and pot with hot water before brewing keeps the temperature from dropping suddenly and steadies the taste.

Brewing green tea

Green tea does not take kindly to very hot water; pour boiling water straight on and it turns bitter and astringent. The key is letting the water cool a little. Pouring boiled water into an empty cup and back into the pot lowers the temperature step by step. Pour out every last drop so no water sits on the leaves; otherwise they keep steeping and the second cup turns astringent.

• Use water at about 70 to 80°C, cooler for delicate leaves
• Start with a steeping time of about 1 to 2 minutes
• The same leaves can be steeped two or three more times, a little longer each round

Brewing black tea

Black tea opens up best at high temperature, so brew it with water close to boiling. Tea bags with finely broken leaves release flavor quickly, so give them less time than whole leaves. Covering the pot while it steeps holds the heat and draws out more aroma, and removing the leaves or bag afterward keeps the tea from turning astringent as it sits.

• Use water at about 95 to 100°C
• Steep whole leaves 3 to 5 minutes and tea bags 2 to 3 minutes
• If adding milk, use a little more leaf or steep a little longer for a stronger brew

Brewing pu-erh

Pu-erh often comes pressed into cakes, so first break off the amount you need carefully. Because it is aged, it is commonly rinsed once with the first water.

• Pour on boiling water and discard it after a few seconds to wake the leaves and rinse them
• Then steep with boiling water in several short rounds of about 10 to 30 seconds
• Brewing all at once in a mug, use fewer leaves and more time to get the strength right

When the tea tastes off

Like coffee, tea tastes thin when underbrewed and astringent and bitter when overbrewed. The rule of changing one thing at a time applies here too.

• Astringent or bitter: lower the temperature, shorten the time or use less leaf
• Thin: steep longer or add a little more leaf
• Squeezing a tea bag releases astringent compounds all at once, so just lift it out

Storing tea leaves

Tea leaves, like coffee beans, suffer from air, moisture, light, heat and odors. Keep them in an airtight, opaque container in a cool place free of strong smells. Green tea in particular loses its aroma quickly, so buy small amounts and drink them soon. Black tea keeps its flavor relatively well over time, and pu-erh, which people enjoy aging, is often stored somewhere ventilated and odor-free. Whatever the tea, never put a wet spoon in the container.

Caffeine and other cautions

Green, black and pu-erh tea all contain caffeine. A cup usually holds less than coffee, but several cups add up quickly, so if you sleep lightly, cut back from late afternoon on. Drinking a lot of tea with meals is known to reduce the absorption of iron from food, so if you have anemia or take iron supplements, ask a doctor or pharmacist whether to space tea away from meals. If you are pregnant or have a medical condition, checking how much to drink with a professional is the safe choice.