How to choose your first pu-erh

Start with two or three samples with different flavour profiles. Try a ripe pu-erh and a young raw pu-erh; if you are curious, add an aged raw tea with a documented storage history. You do not have to learn to drink ripe tea before trying raw tea.

A sheng pu-erh cake in its opened paper wrapper.
Photo: Ash Crow · CC BY-SA 4.0

Compressed shu pu-erh in its paper wrapper.
Photo: Ash Crow · CC BY-SA 4.0

Steps

Decide which flavours you want to try. Ripe pu-erh undergoes wet piling, or wo dui. It usually brews dark, with woody, nutty or earthy notes. Young raw pu-erh often tastes more floral, grassy or fruity, with noticeable bitterness and astringency. These are broad tendencies: ripe tea can turn bitter when brewed strongly, and young raw tea can be gentle.
Buy enough to try more than once. A 15–25 g sample gives you several brewing sessions and room to adjust your method. Comparing samples is more useful than committing to a large cake straight away. Loose tea, cakes, bricks and tuo are formats, not quality grades. Weights vary, too: not all cakes weigh 357 g, and a mini tuo is not necessarily the right serving for your vessel.
Check the description and price. Look for the producer or supplier, raw or ripe type, batch, and harvest and pressing dates where these differ. Ask where and how an aged tea was stored. Village names, gu shu claims and tree ages need supporting evidence; flavour and leaf size cannot prove them. Compare prices for the same weight, including delivery. There is no universal price below which all pu-erh is fake, or above which it is good.
Inspect before brewing. Stems and broken leaves can be normal parts of a blend; abundant buds do not guarantee better flavour. Foreign debris, dampness, suspicious growth or a musty smell are reasons to reject a sample. Do not assume a white fuzzy coating is harmless because it is white. Do not taste suspect tea or try to fix it by rinsing.
Compare it in the cup. For a first gaiwan trial, use 4 g per 100–120 ml: 90–95 °C for young raw tea, or 95–100 °C for ripe and aged raw tea. Start with 10–15 seconds from the beginning of the pour and drain fully. Treat this as a starting point; a tightly compressed piece may open more slowly. If it is bitter, shorten the infusion or reduce the leaf and try again. Judge the aroma, flavour and aftertaste you enjoy, rather than requiring eight infusions or instant returning sweetness. Record the batch, price and brewing settings.

Questions and answers

How old should my first pu-erh be?

There is no required age. Raw and ripe pu-erh can both be enjoyed young. Ageing changes tea but does not guarantee improvement or undo poor storage.

Should I buy an expensive old tea straight away?

If it interests you, start with a small sample from a seller who explains its origin and storage. Buy a full cake after several enjoyable sessions, once you know what you are paying for.