Pu'er at the Office: Simple, Clean, and Hassle-Free

A desk isn't a tea table: no tea tray, no kettle, and your time is chopped into pieces by meetings. But choose the right method, and you can have a good cup of pu'er at the office with no hassle at all.

How to Brew Pu'er at the Office

Depending on the equipment at hand and how much time you want to spend, there are several options:

1. Pyramid Tea Bags: The Least Effort

• One tea bag and a 250–350 ml mug.
• Use freshly boiled water, steep 2–3 minutes, then lift out.
• Re-steep 2–3 times: 3–4 minutes the second time, 5 minutes or more the third.

Hot water from a water dispenser works too; dispenser water is mostly 85–90°C (185–194°F), so just steep ripe pu'er tea bags 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Details are in How to Brew Pyramid Tea Bags. Guyuntang's Pu'er Pyramid Tea Bag Gift Box holds 24 bags, perfect for keeping on your desk.

2. Piaoyi Cup: Whole Leaf Made Simple

A piaoyi cup has an inner and outer chamber; press the button and the tea flows into the outer cup, making it a simplified teapot.

• Add 3–5 g of loose tea or pried cake tea, or one dragon pearl.
• The first time, rinse quickly with hot water and discard.
• After that, press to pour after 15–30 seconds per infusion, and refill when you've finished.

It can bring out layers close to a gaiwan, and it's easy to clean.

3. Thermos: Brew in the Morning and Take It with You

A thermos keeps the water hot, so tea left inside gets stronger and stronger. We suggest:

• Use a thermos with a strainer, and remove the strainer once the tea reaches the strength you like.
• Or brew it at home in a gaiwan and pour the tea into a thermos to take to work.
• Ripe pu'er suits long hours in a thermos better than raw; raw pu'er stewed too long easily turns bitter and astringent with a stuffy aroma.

See Thermos Brewing and Steeping.

4. Cold Brew: Prepare the Night Before

The night before, put a tea bag or 5–8 g of tea in a bottle of cool drinking water and refrigerate; the next day, take it to work for a bottle of refreshing cold-brewed pu'er, especially pleasant in summer. The method is in Cold-Brewing Pu'er.

What to Do with Spent Leaves

When brewing tea at the office, the biggest headache is often the spent leaves:

• Tea bags: The cleanest. When done, drain and toss in general waste or sort as food waste according to company rules.
• Piaoyi cups and strainers: Empty the leaves into the food-waste bin or wrap them in a small plastic bag. Don't pour them into the sink, or they may clog the pipes.
• Keep a small draining dish: Rest the tea bag or strainer on it until you re-steep.
• Clean up the same day: Leaves left overnight easily start to smell, so clear them before you leave.

At home, dried spent leaves can also go in the refrigerator or shoe cabinet to absorb odors, or be used as mulch for plants.

Raw or Ripe at Work?

It depends on the taste you like and the time of day:

Raw pu'er has a bright aroma and huigan, suiting times when you need a lift; ripe pu'er is mellow and low in bitterness and astringency, and doesn't easily turn bitter even if steeped a bit long, so it's easier to manage at the office. If you're sensitive to caffeine, drink less or brew lighter in the afternoon; see Caffeine and When to Drink Tea During the Day.

Brewing to Share with Coworkers

• Big-pot brewing: In a glass pot or insulated carafe of about 1,000 ml, put 2–3 tea bags or 8–10 g of ripe pu'er, add boiling water, steep 3 minutes, then remove the leaves.
• Serve from a pitcher: Pour the brewed tea into a large fairness pitcher, then serve everyone, so the strength is consistent.
• Ripe pu'er is the safest bet: Tastes vary, and ripe pu'er is low in bitterness and astringency and widely liked.
• Provide paper cups or personal mugs: Avoid sharing cups.
• Label it clearly: When you leave it in the pantry, stick on a small note with the tea's name and the time it was brewed, and finish hot-brewed tea the same day.

A Small Tea Kit for Your Desk

If you want to be a little more particular, these are all you need:

• A piaoyi cup or a mug with a strainer
• A small draining dish
• An airtight tea canister holding a week's worth of tea
• A small towel

Don't keep tea near a computer's exhaust vent, in a sunny spot by the window, or near a coworker's fragrance products, or it may absorb odors.

FAQ

What's the simplest way to brew pu'er at the office? A pyramid tea bag in a mug: steep in freshly boiled water for 2–3 minutes, lift it out, and re-steep 2–3 times.

What should I do with spent leaves? Drain tea bags and discard them; empty loose spent leaves into the food-waste bin or wrap them up, never into the sink, and clear them before you leave.

Raw or ripe at work? Either; ripe pu'er is low in bitterness and astringency and doesn't easily turn bitter, so it's easier to manage at the office. In the afternoon, brew lighter or switch to cold brew.

How should I brew to share with coworkers? In a big pot, put 2–3 tea bags or 8–10 g of ripe pu'er, steep in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove the leaves, and pour into a pitcher to serve everyone.