How to Brew Pu-erh: Sheng and Shu Without Bitterness

Pu-erh is brewed with water at 95–100°C: 5–7 g of leaf per 100–150 ml, one or two quick rinses, then short infusions from 10–15 seconds with the time gradually increasing. Good pu-erh holds up for 8–12 or more infusions.

The only subtlety is the difference between sheng and shu. Young sheng is temperamental: boiling water and oversteeping make it bitter. Shu, on the contrary, loves the hottest water and forgives almost everything. The rest is standard flash-infusion technique.

The method works the same for cakes, bricks, and small xiao tuo cha: a 5–7 g nest simply goes into the gaiwan whole, no knife required. Below is the full sequence, from a piece of the cake to the last infusion.

Steps

Boil the water. Pu-erh needs water at 95–100°C: pressed leaf opens only in very hot water. Use a rolling boil for shu; for young sheng, let the boiled water stand a minute — 90–95°C takes off the excess harshness. The water should be soft and filtered.
Break tea off the cake. Insert a pu-erh knife into the edge of the cake and pry it apart along the natural layers of the pressing rather than breaking it from the top: whole leaves give a clean taste, crumbs give bitterness and murk. A 5–7 g piece is enough for a 100–150 ml gaiwan.
Preheat the ware. Rinse the gaiwan or teapot, gongdaobei, and cups with boiling water. Pu-erh is especially sensitive to temperature, and cold ware will steal the very degrees the leaf needs. While you're at it, inhale the aroma of the dry leaf in the warmed gaiwan.
Rinse the leaf. Cover the tea with boiling water and pour it all off after 5 seconds. For tightly pressed and aged pu-erhs, do two rinses: the first washes off the dust, the second "wakes" the leaf. The rinse water isn't drunk.
Brew with flash infusions. The first infusion is 10–15 seconds, each following one 5–10 seconds longer. Decant the liquor completely: water left on the leaf will add bitterness. By the fifth or sixth infusion, once the leaf has fully opened, you can extend the time more boldly — to a minute and beyond. Serve through the gongdaobei so every cup has the same strength.
Adjust to the type of pu-erh. For young sheng: water at 90–95°C and short infusions from 5–10 seconds — that way the bright bitterness melts into sweetness instead of turning astringent, and the tea shows fruit rather than harshness. For shu: a rolling boil and unhurried steeps — it won't turn bitter, and aged shu can even be simmered in a glass kettle.
Stop in time. Pu-erh gives its flavor for a long time, but not forever: when the liquor is watery and flat even after a long steep, the session is over. The opened leaf will tell you about the quality of the material: whole, elastic leaves are a good sign; dust and stems are a reason to change vendors.

Tips

The best ware for pu-erh is a gaiwan or a Yixing teapot; clay additionally rounds the taste of shu and aged sheng.
If young sheng is bitter, cut the seconds, not the grams: with too little leaf the liquor will simply turn empty.
Lao cha tou — the dense "nuggets" of shu — open slowly and love long infusions and simmering: don't judge them by the first two brews.