You've probably tried it and found the taste unpleasant, so you wanted to throw it away. But don't worry, here we'll give you 5 easy ways to make Pu-erh tea taste better.
Typically, when someone tries this type of tea, they blame it on the raw materials it was made with or the fact that it was stored improperly. They then decide not to buy it again, until they find a way to make it palatable. Pu-erh tea appears to be an unpleasant tea, but there are ways to prepare it and make it a true treasure.
1. To reduce its strange smell

One way to know how to make Pu-erh tea taste good is to identify its unusual smell, whether it's been around for a long time (more than 10 years) or because it hasn't been stored properly (the storage area is too humid or too hot). To eliminate this unpleasant smell, do the following:
- If you notice that the tea is compact, what you should do is take it and break it down into smaller parts.
- Next, store it in a Yixing clay jar, which is often very useful for protecting the tea from moisture, temperature changes, and light. This type of jar will allow you to properly ventilate your tea.
- Once aired, you should rinse it twice quickly before soaking it. To do this, add hot water to the teapot you'll be serving, and after about 10 seconds, discard it. Two rinses will be enough to remove the unpleasant odor and prepare a good infusion of this tea.
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2. Remove the dirty taste

When you first drink Pu-erh tea, the taste may be strong, somewhat "dirty." In this regard, you should know that there are two types of Pu-erh tea: raw and ripe. Most people detect the dirty taste in the ripe type. To remove this taste, do the following:
- Before preparing your first proper infusion, rinse your ripened Pu-erh tea about twice. This will remove that foul odor.
- It is known that ripe tea must be prepared at high temperatures, so try to reduce it to around 90° to soften the flavor.
- Don't let it steep for too long. Westerners typically steep these drinks for several minutes. However, in the case of mature Pu-erh tea, the infusion will be dark and unpleasant-tasting. Therefore, it's best to reduce the steeping time to one minute if steeping in a large teapot or to 20 to 30 minutes if steeping in a container like a gaiwan. This steeping time can be slowly increased for subsequent drinks.
- On the other hand, you can flavor your mature Pu-erh tea with other herbs or flowers.
If none of these steps work for you, it's best to switch to raw.
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3. The unpleasant smell of fish
We already know how to make Pu-erh tea taste good when it's ripe, because of its dirty smell, but when it's raw, it often has a fishy taste. That distinctive fishy taste is due to its seaweed flavor. If so, don't worry; the tea isn't bad, but you probably won't like its taste. Perhaps its unpleasant smell is due to improper storage, so the tips given for ripe tea will also work.
The benefits of Pu-Erh tea are numerous, so you can try breaking it up to allow it to air out, rinsing it, and alternating the temperature and steeping time for a better flavor. But if you still don't like the taste of raw Pu-Erh tea, then read the following tip.
4. It has a bitter taste
The bitter taste of your Pu-erh tea can be softened in a warm, humid room where post-fermentation can take place properly. Some teas don't go through this process, instead undergoing a slow, natural fermentation that often takes a long time. This is how raw tea acquires that bitter taste. However, to eliminate it, you need to do the following:
- SometimesPu-Erh tea isn't ready for consumption, for example, when the tea is very young. What you should do is store it so it can mature slowly. Over time, that bitterness will disappear, and its color will become darker and sweeter.
- Of course, visit it every year to see how it's evolving.
- The advantage of this type of raw tea is that you can experiment with the temperature and steeping time, unlike with mature tea. Try temperatures between 80° and 100°C to find the best one for your tea.
- If you soak at the highest temperature, the taste will be bitter. If you soak at a lower temperature, you'll notice a different flavor.
5. Mix it with herbs and flowers
The last resort to make Pu-erh tea taste good is to flavor your Pu-erh tea with other herbs!
At Tétique, we understand that sometimes you want to add your own personal touch to your Pu-erh tea and experiment with combinations of herbs and flavors. That's why we offer the option to purchase Pu-erh tea in bulk , so you can customize and enhance its flavor to your liking.
Our loose Pu-erh tea gives you the freedom to select the herbs and spices you want to add to create a unique and delicious blend. You can explore a variety of options, such as ginger , mint, cinnamon, or even dried fruits, to enhance and enrich the flavor of your Pu-erh tea.
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