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Steeping Guide
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) or tea bag per 8oz. cup
Fresh Water Boiling Hot
Steeping Time 7 -10 Minutes
Brew Ha-Ha
Herbal and Fruit Tea (Tisane)
The English word "tisane" originated from the Greek word πτισάνη (ptisanē), a drink made from pearl barley. Technically, the name 'herbal tea' is incorrect because they are not made with real tea (Camellia sinensis), but by infusing other plants.
Herbal teas can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds, roots and dehydrated fruit by pouring boiling water over the Herbal Tea (tisane) and letting it steep covered for 10 minutes. The tisane is then strained, sweetened if so desired, and served.
Steeping Guide
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) or tea bag per 8oz. cup
Fresh Water Boiling Hot
Steeping Time 7 -10 Minutes
Benefits
Drinking Pu-erh tea is purported to reduce blood cholesterol. It is also widely believed in Chinese cultures to counteract the unpleasant effects of heavy alcohol consumption. In traditional Chinese medicine, the tea is believed to invigorate the spleen and inhibit "dampness." In the stomach, it is believed to reduce heat and "descends qi".
Pu-erh tea is widely sold as a weight loss tea or used as a main ingredient in such commercially prepared tea mixtures. Though there is as yet no empirically backed evidence as to how Pu-erh might facilitate weight loss, the widely proposed explanations include that the tea increases the drinker's metabolism, or that the high tannin content in the tea binds macronutrients and coagulate digestive enzymes, thus reducing nutrient absorption. Although evidence is still sparse, it has been shown that rats experience reduction in body weight, blood triglycerides, and blood cholesterol following a diet containing Pu-erh tea.
Brew Ha-Ha
Pu-erh's are the only fermented teas, whereas other Black teas are only oxidized. Although Pu-erh teas are usually classified as post-oxidation or, just simply as Black teas, Pu-erh teas can be placed in three types of processing methods, namely: green tea, oxidized tea, and secondary-oxidation. Pu-erhs can be green teas if they are lightly processed before being pressed into cakes. This type of Pu-erh is referred to as maocha if unpressed and as "green/raw Pu-erh" if pressed. While not always pleasant tasting, green Pu-erhs are fairly inexpensive and are known to age well for up to 30 years. Pu-erh can also be an oxidized tea if it goes through slow process oxidation for up to a year. This Pu-erh is referred to as ripened or cooked Pu-erh, and has a more mellow and pleasant flavour. Aged Pu-erhs are secondary-oxidation and post-oxidation teas. If aged from green Pu-erh, the aged tea will be mellow in taste but still clean in flavour.
Brewing Pu-erh Tea
Preparing a Pu-erh brick or cake involves first breaking off compressed tea for brewing. There are many ways to do this: by flaking off pieces of the cake or steaming the entire cake until it is softened up; using Pu-erh knife (similar to an oyster knife or a rigid letter opener) to pry large flakes of tea off the cake to reduce leaf breakage.
Pu-erh is generally expected to be served Gongfu style, generally in a Yixing tea pot or in a type of Chinese teacup called a gaiwan. Optimum water temperatures are generally regarded to be around 95 degree Celsius for lower quality Pu-erhs and 85-89 degree Celsius for good ripened and aged raw Pu-erh. Steeping times last from 12-30 seconds in the first few infusions, up to 2-10 minutes in the last infusions. Generally, the higher quality aged Pu-erhs can produce multiple infusions, each with a different flavour when brewed in the traditional Gong-Fu method.
Tasting Notes
History
Steeping Guide
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) or tea bag per 8oz. cup
Fresh Water Boiling Hot
Steeping Time 3 - 5 Minutes
