Ripe vs Raw Pu-erh Tea: The Differences Between Sheng and Shou Puer 

Thank you ☺

Thanks Stephen!:) Check it out: pathofcha.com/collections/tea-trays-chaban/products/handmade-tea-table-chaban

Hi Liam. Thanks for the questions! I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge:) • It is customary to brew pu-erh with boiling water. You can, of course, lower the temperature to your liking (after all, it's your tea:) but generally speaking, aged compressed tea made of large and thick assamica leaves needs hot water to open up fully. So, 80ºC may not suffice. 95º - maybe, I wouldn't go lower than 90ºC. • Unlike Shou pu-erh, Sheng pu-erh is fermenting slowly and naturally, over the course of years. • After many years of aging and fermenting, sheng pu-erh can reach the condition when all the sharpness and bitterness dissipates, the brew is thick, sweet and rounded, and its color is dark. At this stage, it can be called "hei cha" (dark tea). Its taste will be similar to the taste of shou pu-erh. I, personally, never tried such old sheng, but hopefully will get a chance during my next visit to China in a couple of months:)

@@PathofCha thanks for your quick respond. Makes sense indeed for opening the leaves at 100 C. But loose leaf Pu-Erh; after rinsing with 100 C I will try steeping at a lower temp. So: is Sheng post fermented naturally and Shou "man made" post fermented? Like a compost heap in the garden. Both post ferment and as I understand "post" fermenting is a process they both undergo. If young Sheng is not called "Hei cha" what is it called then? Green tea? Hope you get a chance to taste old Sheng indeed! I hope you do a posting of that about the taste. Thank you.

@@LiamEserda "is Sheng post fermented naturally and Shou "man made" post fermented? Like a compost heap in the garden. Both post ferment and as I understand "post" fermenting is a process they both undergo." - yes, that's correct. • Young sheng is called simply sheng:) and if it's produced in Yunnan, then it's called pu-erh. Otherwise, just sheng - there is no other conventional name for it. It is not a green tea because in green tea enzymes are stopped during the sha qing phase, while in sheng pu-erh enzymes are slowed down but still alive.

@@PathofCha Thanks again for your explaining, it's clear to me now. :) Best regards!

Thank you, Edwin! Glad you found it informative! The easiness of breaking into raw or ripe pu-erh is a very individual thing. These two types of pu-erh are very different. Shou pu-erh is usually much more mellow but its earthy notes may scare some people off, while sheng pu-erh is a very interesting tea but it's sharp and bitter notes may not be for everyone. A lot of it depends on the quality of the tea. If you are looking for a clean, not too earthy shou pu-erh - start with this one: rb.gy/tpnct (you can get as little as 25g) or with this one: rb.gy/509u0 And if you want to try a nice sheng, try this: rb.gy/rx71j - it's a Vietnamese sheng. I, personally, love it. Or this: rb.gy/98c1z