How Many Infusions Does Pu'er Give? Staying Power

The first time people drink pu'er with tea friends, they're often amazed: a small pinch of tea lasted a whole afternoon. Staying power is one of pu'er's most endearing qualities, and the changes from fresh aroma to sweet smoothness across the infusions are exactly where the fun lies.

How Many Infusions Does Pu'er Give?

Using a 110 ml gaiwan, 7–8 grams of tea, and boiling water as an example:

Number of infusions isn't the only measure of quality; leaf amount, water volume, and time per infusion all affect it. With more leaf and quick pours you get more infusions; with less leaf and long steeps every time, it goes weak after a few.

Why Pu'er Lasts So Long

Thick Large-Leaf Leaves

Yunnan large-leaf tea has big, thick leaves rich in constituents, and each leaf takes many infusions to release its full flavor. Read Yunnan Large-Leaf Tea.

Sun-Drying Keeps Leaves Whole

Pu'er's raw material is sun-dried maocha, rolled and then dried in the sun, so the leaf structure isn't chopped up, and the spent leaves are often still whole leaves once they've opened.

Compression Makes Leaves Open Slowly

In compressed teas such as cakes, bricks, tuocha, and dragon pearls, the leaves unfurl layer by layer over the first few infusions, stretching out the release of flavor, so you naturally get more infusions. Laochatou are small clumps of tea stuck together during wodui and open even more slowly, which is why they last especially long.

Leaf Maturity

Tea with a high proportion of buds is fragrant and sweet early on and releases flavor quickly, so it doesn't necessarily give many infusions; tea with some mature leaves and stems actually holds up longer in the middle and later infusions.

Getting More Infusions

• Use the upper end of the leaf range and pour off a bit faster.
• Drain the liquor fully every infusion so the leaves aren't left sitting in water.
• Be bold about lengthening times in the later infusions: 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes.
• If you take a break partway through, open the lid to let the leaves cool, and continue brewing later the same day.

What to Do with Spent Leaves

Boil Them

When pu'er reaches the 8th to 10th infusion and the liquor is clearly pale, put the spent leaves in a pot with 500–800 ml of water, starting from cold water, bring it to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 3–5 minutes, and you'll get another pot of sweet, smooth tea. Ripe pu'er, laochatou, and aged raw tea are best for this. The method is in Boiling Pu'er.

Steep Them in a Thermos

Put the spent leaves in a thermos, add boiling water, and let it steep for 10–15 minutes for a light, elegant cup.

Look at the Spent Leaves

Spread the spent leaves on a white plate and look at how intact, springy, and what color they are; it's the best way to get to know a tea. Tasting methods are in Tasting Pu'er.

When to Throw Out the Leaves

• Once they're as weak as plain water even after boiling or thermos steeping, they can go.
• Wet spent leaves left for more than half a day, especially in Taiwan's heat, shouldn't be brewed again.
• Wet spent leaves left overnight should never be reused.

Discarded leaves can be dried and used as mulch on potted plants, or put in the food waste.

What the Number of Infusions Tells You

With the same leaf amount and timing, a tea that's weak after 3–4 infusions may have fine, broken material or thinner constituents; one that's still sweet at the 10th infusion usually has substantial material and thorough processing. It's not absolute, but compare a few teas and you'll gradually build your own judgment.

Three Stages in a Pot of Tea

A tea with good staying power has its own character in the early, middle, and late infusions:

• Early (infusions 1–3): the highest aroma, with raw tea's floral and honey notes or ripe tea's aged aroma most pronounced, and a strong liquor.
• Middle (infusions 4–8): the leaves are fully unfurled and the liquor is at its fullest, with the best sweetness and huigan. Many tea drinkers consider this the most exciting part of a tea.
• Late (infusion 9 onward): the aroma fades, the liquor turns clear and sweet, and longer steeps still draw out a fine sweetness.

There's no need to rush. It's fine to drink one pot over a morning and an afternoon; just remember to lift the lid partway through so the leaves can breathe.

FAQ

How many infusions does pu'er give? In a gaiwan, 8–12 for young raw tea, 8–10 for ripe pu'er, and 10–15 for aged raw tea; laochatou can give even more.

Why does pu'er last so long? Large-leaf tea has thick leaves rich in constituents, sun-drying keeps the leaves whole, and compressed tea opens slowly one infusion at a time.

Can spent leaves still be boiled? Yes. Add 500–800 ml of water to the leaves, start from cold water, and simmer over low heat for 3–5 minutes.

Can brewed leaves be brewed again the next day? No. Use wet brewed leaves the same day, and throw them out after half a day or overnight.