Tea Paste, Instant Pu'er, and Bottled Pu'er
Besides being brewed from leaves, pu'er can also become a small dark brown piece of paste, a packet of powder, or a bottle you grab and drink. They all share the same starting point: pu'er liquor.
What Is Tea Paste?
Tea paste (chagao) is a tea product that "concentrates" the flavor of tea leaves into a solid. The leaves are simmered in water to extract the liquor, which is filtered, then slowly concentrated and dried until it sets into glossy pieces or flakes of a brown so dark it's nearly black.
Pu'er tea paste has a long history. In his Notes on Pu'er Tea, the Qing-dynasty writer Ruan Fu recorded the items sent as tribute by Pu'er Prefecture. Besides ball teas of various weights and loose tea, he mentioned tea paste presented in boxes. At the time, tea paste was a court item that was easy to carry and keep. For the history of tribute tea, see Tribute Pu'er.
How Tea Paste Is Made
Methods vary, but roughly:
- Choosing the tea: mostly ripe pu'er, though some is made from raw pu'er.
- Extraction: the leaves are simmered or steeped in water, sometimes several times, to draw out the flavor fully.
- Filtering: the spent leaves and fine bits are filtered out, leaving the liquor.
- Concentrating: the liquor is concentrated over low heat or in low-temperature equipment for a long time until it thickens into a paste.
- Shaping and drying: it's poured into molds or spread flat, dried, then cut into small pieces or pressed into flakes.
Traditional tea paste relies on long simmering, which is time-consuming, and a jin of tea leaves yields only a small amount of paste, so it isn't cheap.
How to Prepare Tea Paste
Tea paste needs no rinsing; just dissolve it:
- Amount: a small piece from the size of a grain of rice to a mung bean, about 0.5 grams, with 150–200 ml of hot water. Adjust to taste.
- Water temperature: water above 90°C dissolves it faster.
- Method: put it in a cup, add hot water, and stir gently or let it dissolve on its own. In 1–2 minutes you'll have a cup of deep red tea.
- Topping up: if some is left undissolved, add more water.
Tea paste is concentrated in flavor and deep in color, so the first time you try it, use less and add more after tasting.
Tea Paste vs. Instant Tea
| Tea paste | Instant pu'er | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Dark brown pieces or flakes | Fine powder or granules |
| How it's made | Simmered, concentrated for a long time, dried | Extracted, then spray-dried or freeze-dried |
| Dissolving | A little slower, needs time to melt | Very fast, dissolves with a stir |
| Style | Thick, with a strong ripe aroma | Depends on the product, often lighter |
| History | Recorded as early as the Qing dynasty | A product of the modern food industry |
What Is Instant Pu'er?
Instant pu'er is tea powder made with modern food technology: pu'er is first extracted into liquor, which is then turned into powder by spray-drying (spraying the liquor into a fine mist that dries instantly in hot air) or freeze-drying (sublimating the water at low temperature). It dissolves quickly and gives a consistent amount, and it often comes in small packets you just pour into water. There are also products blended with other ingredients; check the ingredient list when buying.
What Is Bottled Pu'er Made From?
Bottled pu'er on the market is mostly a ready-to-drink tea made by extracting liquor from pu'er leaves, adjusting the strength, bottling it, and sterilizing it. Some are plain tea; some add sugar or other flavors. The ingredient list shows the ingredients in order of quantity, for example "water, pu'er tea," or pu'er tea extract, tea powder, and so on.
Ready-to-drink tea tastes different from freshly brewed tea: to keep it stable at room temperature, its aroma is usually more subdued. To taste pu'er's layers, brewing it yourself is still best.
Can Tea Powder Be Used in Desserts?
Yes. Ripe pu'er tea powder or finely ground ripe pu'er leaves are often used in:
- Baking: pu'er pound cake, pu'er cookies, pu'er chiffon.
- Desserts: pu'er pudding, pu'er panna cotta, pu'er ice cream.
- Drinks: pu'er lattes, pu'er milk tea.
Ripe pu'er's ripe and woody notes go well with caramel, brown sugar, nuts, and milk. When making desserts, mix the tea powder with a little hot water first before stirring it into the other ingredients, so it doesn't clump. You can also replace some of the water or milk with strongly brewed ripe pu'er. More pairings are in Pu'er and Food Pairing.
Storage
Tea paste and tea powder both dislike damp. After opening, seal them and keep them somewhere dry, cool, and dark. Tea powder in particular absorbs moisture and clumps easily, so use a dry spoon. Drink bottled tea according to the storage instructions and expiration date on the package; after opening, refrigerate it and finish it soon.
FAQ
What is tea paste? A tea product made by simmering pu'er liquor, concentrating it, and drying it into pieces. Records show pu'er tea paste was sent as tribute in the Qing dynasty.
How do you prepare tea paste? Take a small piece from the size of a grain of rice to a mung bean and dissolve it in 150–200 ml of hot water. No rinsing needed.
What is instant pu'er? Tea powder made by extracting pu'er into liquor and then spray-drying or freeze-drying it. It dissolves very quickly.
What is bottled pu'er made from? Mostly liquor extracted from pu'er leaves, adjusted for strength, then bottled and sterilized. Check the package label for ingredients.