How to Brew and Taste Pu-erh Tea with Tea Expert Alice Liu | What's Eating Dan?

[@C2C.]

This is one of my favorite episodes. My only wish is that it were longer. Excellent topic, the legendary Grace Young, and featuring an authentic Chinese tea experience. Alice Liu's expertise shines and she's a wonderful ambassador for tea. Dan is a great show host and listener; and I hope it becomes a series. After all, we're only scratching the very surface of teas!

[@MysticDonBlair]

I would love more tea content!!!

[@richardheidelberg5193]

This could be a four hour documentary. Thanks so much.

[@jodiperko2774]

Love this episode! I’m a devoted tea drinker and love all things tea. Thanks, Dan!

[@innersunandvision1890]

As a fellow tea head I love to see anyone enjoying and talking about tea, and love to see this content pop up on my YT recommendations. There are a couple things that were quite peculiar to me though in this video. First is that she was comparing Sheng Puer to White tea. I don’t think this is quite accurate. I believe a lower heated, sun-dried green tea would be a little more accurate. Although it’s in its own subsection so that does make these things tricky. Also, looking at the color of the brew I don’t believe there is anyway that tea could be 30+ years old. Maybe 10 years old dry stored at best. Also a little surprised that she served a citrus stuffed Shu Puer to start. It seems like a lot on the pallet to then go to an aged Shu Puer and then the holy grail old Sheng Puer? Just some observations and thoughts. I’d love to see you return and sit down with her with one of her favorite teas and go more in depth into her understanding and perception of making tea. I bet she has some interesting and helpful things to share. Cheers

[@tomasdjng]

Yeah i also found it strange it was so green, i have a 2014 sheng puer thats even darker

[@spiral310]

I agree that the third raw Puer does look less than 10 years old by color. I'd expect a bit more copper tint to it.

[@handyandy58_]

Absolutely no way that's a 30+ y.o. tea unless it's been like vacuum sealed for that entire time.

[@EstebanJavornik]

Absolutely agree on every point you made.

[@Eza_yuta]

Thought the same. Maybe she got switched on her father's stored teas.

[@lindac7146]

What a wonderful video. Loved this little ceremony. I love learning about other cultures and what they value.

[@MeiLeaf]

Great to see more exploration in tea. I think that it is worth saying that Raw PuErh is actually a sun-dried Green tea rather than a White since it does go through a Sha Qing process. Yunnan does make Whites but these are never considered PuErh. Keep the tea videos coming!

[@martinyang5459]

Sheng undergoes partial shaqing, so it lies between green tea and white tea. Yunnan green teas (Dianlü) are fully fixed, even the sun-dried ones.

[@MeiLeaf]

@@martinyang5459 hmmm I would have to respectfully disagree. Firstly a fundamental definition of a Green is that is goes through a Sha Qing process no matter what the actual heating parameters. Secondly every Sha Qing session that I have witnessed in Yunnan has had very hot hot woks and extended cooking time, I have done it a few times myself and it is really hot and long work cooking those leaves. So I don't really consider it to be that partial. Yes, it may not fully deactivate enzymes in the leaf but that would be the same for many roughly made green teas on the market and we still call them green tea.

[@martinyang5459]

@@MeiLeaf The shaqing used for sheng is definitely partial; I've had producers explain to me that they can't go too hot or too long. A given leaf, when fully instead of partially fixed, tastes less bitter and less complex in my experience. It becomes Dianlü rather than sheng. The complete shaqing used for, say, longjing is definitely more thorough than the partial one for sheng. That said, you're probably right that there are green teas that are partially fixed. And if those are green teas, then so is unaged sheng. Thanks for explaining.

[@MeiLeaf]

@@martinyang5459 the world of tea is beautifully nuanced with these kind of grey areas for discussion despite thousands of years of history and the learning ever ends. Wishing you plenty of delicious tea!

[@rpaiz87]

My mouth started watering watching the reaction after the first sip of the last tea sample. Thank you Dan for sharing this experience with us 💛💜💙

[@Hyper88]

This is a fascinating episode, I'm not too far from this shop. I might have to swing by now

[@deleria010]

Definitely go!!

[@christophercapasso8214]

Ditto. Going Saturday!

[@MK-tv4qp]

Report??

[@annabizaro-doo-dah]

This is a whole new magical world to me! What a gem of a show.

[@crimsonfirelily]

This is such a delightful and fascinating episode. I learned so much more about tea than I could have ever imagined in such a short time. Thank you so much for this experience. Please do this again or expand on this. I would be so grateful. 💜

[@darrellobermann2315]

Thank you for this glimpse into an incredible culture that has always been a mysterious to me

[@sandyting137]

Thats odd though. the raw puerh you said didnt age at all. my 2005-2010 teas are reddish now.. is it stored in your fridge

[@simonsavelyev7399]

Fascinating! Now I have to look up tea drunk poetry

[@borderlineiq]

This reminds me of being given a private docented tour of some great museum, or perhaps hearing a world class performance of a chamber orchestra with authentic ancient instruments, and left to appreciate it in your mind in the days and weeks that follow.

[@greg1158]

I am stunned by the beauty of Alice.

[@burblingbarbacoa4944]

ok greg

[@gfreya9450]

Pu-erh is very comforting and good for stomach cuz it helps digestion, it has a very unique but lovely flavour that can actually become very addictive once you get used to it. I love to mix it with dried chrysanthemum or rose petals, just put about 5~10g of pu-erh and a few dried chrysanthemums or roses in a teapot and add boiling water then let it brew for 10 mins, tastes just amazing♥!

[@nikolaisedov2295]

Wonderful. My favourite is adding blackcurrant leaves to it. I actually like adding it to any black tea

[@breinich2]

I love pu erh, and I learned so much in this video. As always, Dan is great.

[@geekogen]

I love how reverent Dan is about the whole tea and process.

[@mndlessdrwer]

Pu-erh is a fascinating tea, particularly the ripe variety, since it is a rapid fermentation, it changes the tea so dramatically compared to the raw aged pu-erh. Both are wonderful and the raw is definitely the more desirable one once it gets about 20 years on it, but you need to be prepared for the peculiar flavor from either. Most aged raw pu-erh have interesting medicinal flavors to them whereas ripe pu-erh is just a full embracing of the earthy quality that a lot of teas have. I like both, but I understand that it would be an acquired taste for most. I will say, if you ever get a ripe pu-erh that has a slightly "off" aroma, or a fishiness to the smell of the dried leaves, you may want to give it a few quick rinses with hot water from your kettle. Just enough to cover it, let it sit for a couple seconds, then dump it out. I've found that this can be enough to rescue some teas that have an unpleasant odor to them. One of my favorite ways to assess pu-erh is to think back on trips to fine woodcraft vendors, the places you go to buy specialty woods. A lot of raw and ripe pu-erh teas have aromas to them that are not just a simple generic "wood" aroma, but can instead bring back memories of specific woods like cedar, cherry, pine, rosewood, etc. So it's fun to see if you can pick out which wood it reminds you most of.

[@Becausing]

Grace’s face when Alice reveals the age of the last tea is incredible. 😲

[@MrSteeleYoGirl86]

That 30 year old tea has to be a mistake. There’s no way. That’s the color of a new sheng. My white teas brew darker than that. Puerh with even a handful of years would be darker.

[@xiulanli745]

Agreed!!! 30 years old tea will have darker color.

[@cloaker416]

​@@xiulanli745seems pretty standard if it was stored in San Francisco for most of its life given the humidity. I have some 15-20 year old stuff that was stored in kunming and looks similar

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Dan is such a cool interviewer 👏🏽

[@abigailmcnaughton4661]

Fab episode. I have a much deeper appreciation of pu erh since reading “ the tea girl of hummingbird lane” by Lisa See and seeing this episode reminds me of the history and culture behind the growing of tea.

[@jonathanniccolls1592]

Thank you ATK & Chef Grace Young!

[@johnb7337]

Good content! Nice that people flagged the questionable parts here, that pu'er isn't white tea, and that last tea didn't look fermented enough to be more than a decade old. It could've been incredibly well preserved, stored in a cool and dry place, but then that doesn't work to skip why that's atypical, and generally not regarded positively. Still, the perspective and information was fine for introductory content. I don't think that drinking tangerine pu'er then shu then aged sheng is necessarily a problem. Drinking lighter to heavier may suit more people's preference better, and leaving citrus pu'er out of a combined tasting, but it's all just preference.

[@rayman20us]

It's a little unclear what's being discussed between about 3:00 and 5:00 in this video. They're discussing using again the exact same leaves that were just brewed, to brew again and again. These multiple brewings could go more than 10 times, depending on the type of tea. Although some people would think that the flavor gets weaker, but remains the same after each brewing, many tea experts say that they can discern the taste of different flavor notes with each successive brewing.

[@barbaracholak5204]

Hello ATK Salutations from California 😋

[@AmericasTestKitchen]

Hi Barbara! 😊

[@ericthompson3982]

Too. Freaking. Cool. My god, I'm a nerd. Both of these women are so interesting, and I adore that he's really just there to listen.

[@jollypodger7102]

I’ve never really gotten into tea, now I feel like I’m missing out. That looked like a lovely experience!

[@kali5587]

I liked the concept of pu-erh tea in tangerine. Looked great!

[@dansmith6909]

Can confirm the existence of tea drunkenness, even with the floor sweepings we get in bags in my country. Drink too much tea in the morning on an empty stomach and it makes me very nauseous

[@mastersplinter5966]

Awesome video, it's different & I like. Fascinating and I didn't know Dan was a good Interviewer too.

[@WildwoodCastle]

Sitting here with my staple.. Earl Grey from Taylor's of Harrogate and enjoying this wonderful video from Dan...

[@robertmcdannold3757]

I’ve watched hours of Chinese tea ceremony videos and have grown to live the art. Everyone here seems to be drinking correctly. It’s customary for women to raise their lower fingers when they sip and for men to curl their fingers under the cup. Good job, Dan. I’ve also learned that the tea can be held in the mouth to full appreciate the flavor, but nobody seems to be doing that here. Wonderful video.

[@Lou.B]

Maybe when ceremony becomes more important than being present with tea.

[@cynthiaslater7445]

I learned about Chinese teas in Beijing but I didn't know about fruity Pu 'er. I drink fermented Pu 'er. My best experience was tasting jasmine tea that was $1800 a pound!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

That bit about Tea is true for us in India too: Tea with Snack with a preference for Tea Leaves.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Moral of the story: Tea Drunk was liquid courage for many Chinese Poets.

[@kristenlu1428]

So delightful. Knowledgeable, entertaining and kind people. Please share more on tea. I would love to watch more. 🫖🍵🙏

[@yanggao4639]

Learned so much about pu-erh tea, thank you!

[@chaoticfloralarrangement8741]

I've never done drugs, drank alcohol, or smoked for my own personal reasons but I'm very inclined to try that tea drunkenness at least once for the experience

[@spencerkieft6021]

Pu-erh is my favorite type of tea. I'm a little barbaric with my preparation. I usually simmer it for a while until it's very strong and serve it with milk.

[@christophercapasso8214]

I wish I knew you were doing this episode! I would have come down to watch!!

[@marshab4983]

Very interesting, thank you! I look forward to trying the pu-erh tea.

[@andymok7945]

Thanks. Very informative.

[@ecco222]

Looks like a super nice tea shop

[@TheMrsBeej]

This is one of those episodes that you know could have been an hour or longer to explain the complexity of the tea, the brew, etc. I'd gladly watch more of this!

[@azharel]

Bring more Alice and Grace on the show!

[@malcolmwadley557]

I love 熟普洱茶 ripe pu er tea! Great video! I'll have to come for a visit one day!

[@darrylgaston7009]

My two old Vietnamese friends from work introduced me to Pu-erh and Su le said to pour out the 1st batch of water and drink the 2nd! I found some golden Pu-erh that is pretty good.

[@erikfreitas9288]

Learned so much! Awesome video!

[@johannavanwinkle815]

What a great video!!

[@susanmunoz7688]

Wonderful, I really enjoyed this 🥰

[@joro4755]

2:45 Dan is such a tease

[@fernandadp94]

this was great. and crazy. I;m goging to buy tea asap

[@ImArchangelMichael]

This is my favorite tea. Than oolong. Than jasmine

[@rebeccapopp9738]

Great video. Does this mean we can ignore the best by dates on tea in the US?

[@Kakakakakakakakakakakaka684]

Grace has such a powerful voice. Love that lil bish

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Grand Tea and Imports is so cool! Happy to see you not being a bull in a tea shop. 😂

[@marilynsnider8183]

I love tea. I took a tea course once.

[@jimmychristensen7112]

Would love to try those tea's..specialy the tangerine, and the 30+ year old

[@sambutarbutar2276]

Lovely video!

[@judyl.6550]

Very interesting!!!

[@ohheycrystalhey]

I cackled at the 老同志 old comrade name, that's so funny

[@ynasra1065]

Love tea thnx dan

[@HughesEnterprises]

I’ve tried this in Seattle. The good stuff tastes like old books. The bad stuff tastes like moldy old books.

[@KM-cs1dy]

Fair enough, some think cheeses taste like wet socks some love it.

[@noshalom]

I'm curious though, no discarding of the first brew? I thought you always do that with puerh....

[@daunsimbukan]

😍

[@AdamShaiken]

Constant Comment is my personal favorite...tangerine pooh bear sounds like it may be my thing, too!

[@TheCynthiaRice]

It's called "Tribute Tea"....

[@ImArchangelMichael]

I’ve been saying this tea name all along and people keep trying to correct me on it saying it wrong. Lol. The same with oolong. But most people actually pronounce that one wrong

[@abigailschmick7185]

Dans the man

[@emcsquare62]

I just purchased and received a box of these. I don't see comments, but do you steep the whole tangerine ball or do you empty the tea and brew only it, not the tangerine?

[@KM-cs1dy]

For a mug size. You break them apart. Take some tea and some tangerine peel to brew them together. For a common tea pot can be 1/2 based on your preference of taste.

[@marionwarren1006]

I want to order all 3 different pureh teas

[@AdamShaiken]

Pooh Bear tea...loves us !!!

[@aut-1212]

So cool

[@josedesilencio8851]

Are these tea cakes being sold at Shoppee?

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Fun! Thanks for sharing. 💙🍵

[@lagoongirl5360]

Pu-erh is top line pero

[@Eza_yuta]

No way that tea is over 30 years old. The very light color and "floral" thing mean young shu puerh.

[@nathansmith9332]

"Raw puer is a kind of white tea. It's picked, dried. Not much is done to it." Well, I'm sorry to say, but she is quite off here. Raw puer's closest similar tea is green tea. Raw puer is picked, pan fried, rolled, then dried. It's kind of disappointing that she, an employee of a tea shop in Chinatown, was off by so much.

[@EdwardLangeland]

She doesn’t seem to have much knowledge about the fermentation process (wòduī) either. I think it’s usually around 45 days but could vary. Never heard about ‘at least three months’ Pu-erh

[@nathansmith9332]

@@EdwardLangeland You are correct. "At least three months" is also a wholly incorrect statement about (shou) puer processing.

[@Chemicalkinetics]

I realize that come to this "area" very often, but never came to this tea shop. I always come around here to the store next to this tea shop. This tea shop did not catch my eyes.

[@thecook8964]

"tea drunk" to me is towards the end of a tea tasting, you're ready to put down $50 for two oz. of something called "old man's eyebrows, " in an euphoric high

[@jwillisbarrie]

Enjoying the captions for the Deaf

[@00000ppp]

Nice video, but I don't think one thing she said about puerh production is correct.

[@TRG92]

Is that 30 year old tea like some sort of a joke? Looks like a 30 day old sheng. Or someone pressed green tea into a cake.

[@jacobmelena9116]

This makes me wish I liked tea

[@ImArchangelMichael]

I’ve had some that taste almost fishy which is yummy

[@cannibalisticwolf3319]

The way she described raw purrh as white tea was misleading. Other than that. This video's super cool.

[@michaelanthony1493]

Mei leaf

[@cpa314]

This was great, but way too short.

[@amdog5055]

Pu-erh me a cup!

[@rueimingtan1080]

Did she just said puer is white tea?? And her last tea looks like a fake. 30 yr old raw puer have a deeper color.

[@tuongthanh662]

Xinh chào

[@oceanwonders]

Um no one actually told me how to brew pu-erh tea.

[@Durianpieenthusiast]

Someone get SteveMRE1982 in here.

[@henrycooks1883]

And where pray tell did you show us how to brew Pu-erh tea, it is a ritual, so a few hints might have been nice.

[@Klesk1985]

LOL 👋

[@wenom7286]

Where are Bridget and Julia?

[@RefinerSimilitude]

You know what else is made of vegetal matter, slightly moistened then fermented and also has earthy notes? Compost.

[@juts89]

The teapot at 3:00 pouring all over the place. Trash that thing. And again at 11:31 wtf. Just dumping tea all over.

[@HyperSensitive88]

Guessing it was designed that way and is intentional!

[@handyandy58_]

The technique she is using is called gongfu brewing. It is normal to spill a bit. The slotted tray with catch basin is designed for this purpose.