Re-Steeping Tea: Discovering the Many Flavors of Pu-erh
Discover the wonders of re-steeping pu-erh. For many, Pu-erh is not a favorite choice for tea because of its bold and earthy characteristics, but hopefully, this blog will open up your eyes to the fact that re-steeping it can change its flavor profile. In this blog, some of our TEAm members took a dive into re-steeping our Immortal Nectar.
The name Immortal Nectar comes from the Sanskrit term, Amrit, meaning “immortality”. In Hinduism, Amrit is known as a drink of the gods or nectar of the goddess. Just as the Greeks consumed ambrosia or food of the gods, the Hindus drank Amrit, which granted them immortality. Accordingly, this cave-aged, supreme loose leaf pu-erh was named after a heavenly elixir to infer that it may provide unearthly graces or health benefits.
First, our team put one teaspoon of the loose leaf Immortal Nectar in teapots. Then, they flushed the tea for 30 seconds to rinse off any excess sediment still lingering on the tea from the fermentation process. After that, they poured the boiled water over the leaves and drained the water after 30 seconds.
Below is a chart of each step taken for each re-steep. We encourage you to order up some Immortal Nectar yourself and see what flavor profiles pop up for you with each re-steep following the same below temperature and steep time guidelines.
| Steep | Water Temperature | Steep Time | Flavor Profile |
| First | 195 degrees | 30 seconds | Light, sweet, earthy |
| Second | 208 degrees | 1 minute | Gritty texture and earthy taste; leaves open up, sweeter, musky |
| Third | 208 degrees | 1 minute | Darker, woodsy smell, alcohol/whiskey tasting |
| Fourth | 205 degrees | 2 minutes | Opens up even more, cinnamon tasting, round, well-balanced flavors |
| Fifth | 205 degrees | 4 minutes | Earthy, peppery, sweet finish |
This is a great pu-erh to try if you are new to this tea because it provides lighter flavors that come across as slightly sweet and less astringent. Throughout the five steeps, the flavor profile of Immortal Nectar continued to evolve in sometimes unexpected ways. As you notice, the third steep released a whiskey taste and alcohol-like essence. By the fourth steep, the traditional robust and woodsy pu-erh flavors were soon overpowered by sweet and cinnamon undertones. Each steep unlocked a number of flavors and aromas.
The discovery of new tea profiles never ends when you simply re-steep the leaves. It’s amazing what aromas and flavors are released after multiple steeps. Now it’s your turn!
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