Pu'er Milk Tea: A Rich Way to Enjoy Ripe Pu'er

Ripe pu'er has a deep red liquor with woody and jujube notes, and it pairs especially well with milk. Pu'er milk tea can be found in Yunnan, in Hong Kong, and at Taiwan's hand-shaken drink shops, and it isn't hard to make at home: the tea needs to be strong enough and the milk fragrant enough. Get the ratio right and you're halfway there.

Raw or Ripe?

Ripe pu'er is best. It's low in bitterness and astringency, with a dark liquor and a deep aroma, so the tea flavor still holds up after milk is added, and the mouthfeel is round. Sweeter ripe teas like laochatou and suiyinzi give an even more glutinous-rice-like fragrance.

Raw pu'er works too, but the bitterness, astringency, and fresh aroma of young raw tea tend to turn thin and astringent with milk. If you want to try it, choose an aged raw pu'er stored for many years; the flavors will be more harmonious.

Fresh Milk, Creamer, or Oat Milk?

• Fresh milk: A natural milky aroma with clear tea flavor. Our top recommendation. Whole milk is smoother than low-fat.
• Creamer or milk powder: A strong aroma and thick mouthfeel, with a bit of a Hong Kong-style milk tea feel. Choose to your taste.
• Condensed milk: Brings both sweetness and milky aroma. A little goes a long way, and you won't need extra sugar.
• Oat milk or soy milk: Plant milks have their own grainy aroma, which also goes well with ripe pu'er's woodiness.

Method 1: Steeped (Simple Version)

1. Put 5–6 g of ripe pu'er (or 2 ripe pu'er pyramid tea bags) in a cup.
2. Rinse once with boiling water and discard.
3. Pour in 150 ml of boiling water and steep 4–5 minutes, stronger than usual.
4. Strain the tea and add 100 ml of warm milk.
5. Add brown sugar or honey to taste.

A tea-to-milk ratio of about 3:2 is a good starting point; if you like it milkier, go 1:1.

Method 2: Simmered (Rich Version)

1. Put 200 ml of water and 8 g of ripe pu'er in a small pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 3–5 minutes.
2. Add 200 ml of fresh milk and heat on low until small bubbles form at the edge of the pot. Don't let it come to a full boil, or the milk may form a skin or boil over.
3. Strain out the leaves and add sugar to taste.

The simmered version has a thicker, more integrated tea flavor, and it's especially good in winter. General guidance on simmering tea is in Simmering Pu'er.

Iced Pu'er Milk Tea

1. Brew 8 g of ripe pu'er with 200 ml of boiling water for 5 minutes to make a strong tea.
2. Strain and let it cool, or pour it straight into a glass full of ice.
3. Add 150 ml of cold fresh milk and stir well.

For even less effort: the night before, cold-brew 10 g of ripe pu'er in 300 ml of cool drinking water for 10–12 hours to make a concentrate, then mix it with cold milk in the morning. The cold-brew method is in Cold-Brewing Pu'er.

Details for Better Milk Tea

• The tea must be strong: Milk dilutes the tea flavor, so brew it twice as strong as usual.
• Warm the milk first: Pouring cold milk straight into hot tea drops the temperature too much and the aroma won't come through.
• Use brown sugar: Its caramelized notes pair nicely with ripe pu'er's aged character.
• Add a little spice: A piece of cinnamon, 2–3 cardamom pods, or a thin slice of ginger makes a pu'er spiced milk tea.

Tea Bags Make It Easiest

Steep 2 ripe pu'er pyramid tea bags in 200 ml of boiling water for 4–5 minutes, lift them out, and add milk; you can even make it at the office. Guyuntang's Pu'er Pyramid Tea Bag Gift Box does not label raw and ripe separately, so please check the packaging or confirm with our staff for the actual tea type. Ripe tea makes the smoothest milk tea; if using raw tea, steep it shorter and add more milk. More ways to use tea bags are in Tea Bag Variations.

How Long Does Milk Tea Keep?

Milk tea should be finished promptly. Keep iced milk tea refrigerated and drink it the same day. Milk spoils easily at room temperature, so don't keep it until the next day.

Hong Kong-Style Pu'er Milk Tea

Hong Kong teahouses have a deep connection with pu'er. Hong Kong-style milk tea is usually made with black tea, but making it Hong Kong-style with ripe pu'er is fun too: simmer 10 g of ripe pu'er in 300 ml of water for 5 minutes, strain, add 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk (unsweetened condensed milk), and sweeten to taste. Strong tea, rich milk, and a silky mouthfeel. The story of pu'er and Hong Kong is in Hong Kong Teahouses and Pu'er.

FAQ

How do I make pu'er milk tea? Steep 5–6 g of ripe pu'er in 150 ml of boiling water for 4–5 minutes, strain, add 100 ml of warm fresh milk, and sweeten to taste.

Should I use raw or ripe pu'er? Ripe is best: low in bitterness, with tea flavor that holds up to milk. If you use raw, choose an aged raw pu'er stored for many years.

Fresh milk or creamer? Fresh milk gives a natural milky aroma and clear tea flavor; creamer is more fragrant and thicker, with a Hong Kong-style feel. Choose to your taste.

Is simmered or steeped better? Steeped is simple with a cleaner tea flavor; simmered is thicker and more integrated, and better suited to winter.