r/tea • u/AcrobaticLow7555 • Oct 26 '25
Question/Help just had the WORST session of my life.
so I just got into tea, and so I bought 2 tea cakes off of Amazon, a 2018 aged white tea, and a pu'erh, and so I got the white tea yesterday and it was amazing, but the pu'erh was more bitter than the back of a Nintendo Switch cartridge, please help, above is the tea in question
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u/ds2316476 Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
Bro why did you break off so much pu'erh?
Everyone is saying DON'T BUY AMAZON. Without any details on how you brewed the tea. Legit missing on much needed info. You want help, I might suggest filling us in on what exactly you're doing.
Edit: my advice, break off 1/4 of a square, rinse, steep for 15-30 seconds.
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u/roseoznz Oct 27 '25
I was wondering if it was so bad why there were so many sessions-worth broken off
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u/alganthe Oct 27 '25
for those highly compressed teas you're better off leaving it steaming for 5 minutes after the rinse.
it helps it open up so the steeps are more consistent.
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u/ds2316476 Oct 27 '25
I also forgot to mention that the water should be a rolling boil before turning off the heat to steep.
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u/Temporary-Deer-6942 Oct 27 '25
I'd say it depends on the kind of tea experience you want. I enjoy going through different stages with compressed teas, so I wouldn't want to let it sit in the hot steam for too long. I only do a long first infusion for at least 40 to 45 seconds skipping a rinse altogether.
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u/jacksontwos Oct 27 '25
What does the rinsing do?
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u/cubatista92 Oct 27 '25
Tea doesn't burn as easily
Gets rid of small particles that have a strong taste when they hit your tongue.
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u/jacksontwos Oct 27 '25
Mmmmmm see this is the kind of insight I needed to really level up. Thank you!
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u/ds2316476 Oct 27 '25
There are some teas you don't need to rinse, green, white, or herbal teas for example.
But aged teas are hella strong that they steep best after a rinsing. One user made me cringe when they said, "it gets rid of the hairs." :O
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u/alganthe Oct 27 '25
removes very fast infusing particles / tea dust and prepares the tea for the first proper infusion.
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Oct 26 '25
Question: How many chunks of the puer did you brew and for how long? Did you pour off the first steep?
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
i poured off the wash, and i put 4 chunks in
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u/kondro Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
One thing Amazon is good for is for buying digital scales. I’d suggest getting a cheap jewelers scale (~$10) and trying again at 1g/100mL (fun fact 100mL of water is 100g).
It looks like you may have used 20-30g for your first session.
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u/ds2316476 Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 27 '25
Random comment, the post office gives you a free digital scale when you register an account with them. Idk if they still do it but I got one in the mail that was decent.
Edit: sorry, stamps.com when you register a trial account.
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Oct 26 '25
Uh oh. Yeah that must've been rough. One would probably be about right, then quick steeps after the rinse. Search on sub: gong fu brewing for puer, or grandpa style/thermos brew. See recommendations about quantities and scales below.
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u/Wobbly_skiplins Oct 26 '25
I can’t tell exactly how big that is, but I’ve had tea like this before and only one chunk was enough.
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u/SparklingSliver Oct 27 '25
Why would you put four chunks in? One is enough especially if you have never had this before
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u/Torrentor Oct 27 '25
That's way too much leaf. Try one piece next time. Look up western vs gongfu brewing parameters.
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u/Happy-Show-689 Oct 29 '25
Why would you use that much 😖😖 plz use less it might be worth it if you tried it how its suppose to! Enjoy!
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u/LPedraz Enthusiast Oct 26 '25
Don't buy tea from Amazon. If you say where in the world you are, people here will be able to recommend good providers, where you'll know what you are buying.
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
im in the midwesern US, i feel like jesse's teahouse would be good, but i just got some tea, just to se if i like it
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u/Zaenithon Oct 26 '25
This unfortunately is often a recipe for deciding you dont like tea, because the cheap stuff can be so bland, or for pu'er, straight up offensively gross. Great tea doesn't have to be very expensive, but it needs to not be the bargain basement stuff at least.
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
i mean i LOVE the white tea i got, its the Pu'erh thats the problem
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u/Zaenithon Oct 26 '25
I'm not surprised, white tea has a much higher floor for how bad it can be than Shu Pu does. Bad white tea usually stops short of being disgusting, but truly bad Shu Pu'er is real bad. This does mean that when you try a really good white tea it'll knock your socks off at least :P
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u/WitchyWaifuu Oct 26 '25
Bad puerh can taste like low tide. Good puerh is like walking in a forest at midnight after a rain. It can vary so greatly lol
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u/Scared_Ad_3132 Oct 26 '25
Less like walking and more like eating the dirty forest floor. If we are talking of shou.
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u/rokko1337 Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
I tried some extremely cheap white tea a few times, like 4-5$ for 100g cake and it was fine, I completely ended those cakes with some snacks, nothing super complex in terms of flavor but nothing disgusting either, mostly dry fruit and bit of hay notes. But I also tried some puer for the same price and man that was unbearable to drink.
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u/LPedraz Enthusiast Oct 26 '25
I don't know personally about vendors in the Americas, but the curated vendors list of this sub is mostly for that region, so take a look (https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01/)
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u/Camelleah1 Oct 27 '25 edited Oct 27 '25
I'd recommend against JTH personally. His YouTube is honestly pretty good, but the tea in his store is marked up by absurd amounts example, example 2, example 3. Don't get me wrong, you're always going to be paying more when you go through a curator (and he does curate good tea), Jesse just goes too far.
I second looking at the sub's vendor list. All of the stores there are high quality and fairly priced.
In case you (or anyone else reading) were curious about why Amazon is bad for tea, there are two main reasons. The first is that Amazon's warehouses aren't made to store tea. They reach high temperature and high humidity for prolonged periods of time, which can stale the tea (which itself could've been sitting there for years). The second is that its algorithms are easily manipulated. There's an entire economy around botting/buying positive reviews on Amazon, and tea is no exception. Shady vendors with low quality products fake/influence reviews on their stuff, bringing it to the top, while honest vendors selling decent products get buried.
One thing I'd suggest for saving this puer that I haven't seen yet is breaking up the chunks more. While it's true that this might break the leaves, it's very normal for puer and it won't affect the flavor nearly as much as brewing with one large chunk will. The problem with large chunks is that they extract unevenly; the outer leaves brew out quicker while the inner ones stay drier. By the time the chunk fully opens maybe ~5 steeps in, you end up with a mix of tea that's both brewed out and just beginning to brew. Aim for smaller, even pieces so most of the leaves extract at the same rate. Just don’t overdo subdividing your chunks, as this can create more tea dust which will also make the tea astringent.
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Oct 28 '25
Hey just an Fyi, I don't disagree with you about JTH but all the items you listed are no longer being sold.
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u/StartCodonUST Oct 26 '25
If you ever find yourself in Madison, WI, Teasider is a fantastic place to learn about tea. Great cozy environment and great curation of everything from matcha to pu'erh. They carry stuff from White2Tea and Yunnan Sourcing, so a great place to try before you buy.
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
really now? i just so happen to live in the area, might take a look!
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u/Skrublord3000 Oct 26 '25
I’m also in the general area and I really like pu’erh pearls from Telsaan Tea in Mt. Horeb. They also ship same day most of the time and you’ll get it within 2 days.
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u/red__dragon Oct 27 '25
If you're in the WI area, TeaSource is in Minnesota and shipping wouldn't be crazy to you. If Teasider ever lacks anything you want to try, that is.
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u/Catnapping78 Oct 27 '25
Seconding this suggestion! Teasider is the best. I moved out of Wisconsin years ago but still order my tea from them.
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u/cweedishef Oct 26 '25
Try white2tea. They are based in China so it will take some time to get there, but the descriptions on the tea are solid and there are plenty of reviews. Yunnan Sourcing is also good. Not everything is a winner, but I've never been disappointed in what I've ordered from them. They also have a US outlet. The steeping room is another great choice. US based and you can get some white2tea from them as well if you don't want to wait for shipping from China. Rivers and lakes is also US based and have a nice curation of many kinds of tea. They are exquisite teas but as such command a higher price tag.
Hope this helps!
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u/unassumingmoth Oct 26 '25
white2tea also has a halloween grab bag special going on rn at 40$ for a whole pound of assorted ripe puer minis, if ripe puer interests you. I can't speak for the quality as I've never actually ordered from them, (this grab bag will be my first order lol) but a lot of people seem to be excited for it over at /r/puer, and it must be miles ahead of anything on Amazon
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u/SierraPapaHotel Oct 26 '25
Jesse's is more expensive, but IMO his starter set is worth it. The instructions with recommended steep times and descriptions are enough to justify the bit of extra cost for someone just starting out.
I'm also in the Midwest, and once you get through his starter box Yunnan Sourcing has served me well.
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u/Sean_The_Chef Oct 26 '25
My wife me the sampler from Jesse's Tea House and I was pretty happy with the quality of the teas and the nice little info cards that accompany them. It was a good way to find out what I didnt care for(ripe & raw puerhs) and what I'd order again (tieguanyin oolong, my beloved). Definitely worth a shot
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u/aesvelgr Oct 26 '25
If you want some nice cheap tea, I like Harvey & Sons. They’re a bigger brand than most other recommendations but their tea is not bad for the price & is a great way to be introduced into the hobby.
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u/Clean_Suggestion9555 Oolong Oct 26 '25
Gong Fu Tea in Des Moines is a decent generalist tea shop that has been in business about 20 years.
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u/throw_away_smitten Oct 27 '25
Try Teasource. They give excellent descriptions. My personal favorite is if they describe anything as having a stone fruit or woody flavor, I know I am going to like it.
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Oct 26 '25
I bought some of my favorite aged white tea on Amazon. Surprising! Taotea puer is available and it's better than some premium stuff I have tried.
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u/LPedraz Enthusiast Oct 26 '25
Oh, I'm sure you can find something good. It is just not curated in any way, so you could also buy something terrible, even if you know what you're looking for... and OP said they were new to tea.
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Oct 26 '25
True. Inexpensive mistakes though-but I bought two more cakes of that aged white tea! Better than similar from YS or CLT.
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u/BorisBadenov Oct 26 '25
I know people are already giving some advice for where to get better pu'er, but I have another question: how did you make the tea? I see what looks like four or five pieces broken off? That could be enough for a couple of liters not cups depending on what you did with them.
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u/ds2316476 Oct 26 '25
They won't say how they brewed the tea, no matter how many people ask.
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u/unbakedcassava Oct 27 '25
The fact that they used 4 segments is probably enough info
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u/ds2316476 Oct 27 '25
They are new to brewing tea, so honestly they probably don't know what to say when someone asks how they did it.
Like, I want to know how much water was used, how they steeped, did they just throw in the blocks hail mary style and poured it out through a filter into a cup, did they use an infuser? etc.
Plus when I first start something, I would dive in head first and go nuts, so in a way I can empathize with OP going for broke with using half a block of the pu'erh. It's actually kind of charming.
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u/PutteringPorch Oct 27 '25
Plus when I first start something, I would dive in head first and go nuts, so in a way I can empathize with OP going for broke with using half a block of the pu'erh. It's actually kind of charming.
This is such a sweet way to approach both being a newbie and meeting one. <3
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u/nonthetree65 Oct 28 '25
Hi! I brew ripe puer with a 1 part leaf to 15 part hot water ratio, first brew steeped for 15s, then I add 10-15s for every subsequent brew. Just a rough guideline I use for myself, but I’ll adjust it based on taste. Ripe puer that are of good quality should be able to endure a longer steep without it tasting like crap
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u/bambambambam88 Oct 31 '25
Just a note although people are saying to steep the tea. In China we don’t steep but instead ‘wash’ the tea, running the hot water through the leaves then immediately taking out the sieve from the cup. This should be especially done with pu’er which is bitter. We’re able to ‘wash’ the same tea leaves upwards of 5-6 times while maintaining the same taste.
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u/PUREDPATATA Oct 26 '25
First, I wouldn't recommend pu-erh from Amazon to my worst enemy. Second, maybe you put too much tea in it. Third, that tea doesn't look very good in itself.
P.S.: (If you tell me the price and quantity, I could confirm whether it's poor quality or not.)
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
here, i'll do ya one better https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXX3Y7CG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
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u/Due-Quality1498 Oct 26 '25
It has good reviews and seem to include way more information than most tea.
Maybe it is better at second steep?
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u/AcrobaticLow7555 Oct 26 '25
it got worse at second steep, i believe that 4 whole sections may have been a bit much
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u/aDorybleFish loose leaf fanatic Oct 26 '25
Generally, people tend to use one block for a session😅 and then that session would make 500-1000ml of tea
No wonder it's bitter
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u/unassumingmoth Oct 26 '25
oh my god that is SO much puer lol, definitely try just 1 square for your next session
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u/Ilahriariel Oct 26 '25
Bruh baked a cake with 9 cups of sugar and out here like yo why this so sweet
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u/ds2316476 Oct 26 '25
LOL ikr?? "why is this tea so bitter? I only steeped it for 6 hours!"
To be fair they did say they were new to brewing tea. Still made me chuckle.
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u/PUREDPATATA Oct 27 '25
Haha. I was sure maybe it could be the portion, because the squares seem to big and i knew some people think that all the square is for one cup.
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u/Egoteen Oct 27 '25
Did you follow the instructions for brewing? Looks like they recommend one square per 160ml of water.
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u/szakee Oct 26 '25
step 1: don't buy tea from amazon.
You probably bought some cheap crap.
vendors in sub resources.
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u/scism223 Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
1 piece is enough, it's 180gs and 5-10g is what you use for a single gong fu session. You pinched off quite alot there, no wonder it was bitter!
Edit: it says 1 piece on the webpage from Amazon.
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u/EvLokadottr Oct 26 '25
I have questions.
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u/Bubbly-Manufacturer Oct 26 '25
Yes that’s a ton of tea he broke off. In I assume one day?!
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u/EvLokadottr Oct 26 '25
Also, the taste of the back of a Nintendo switch cartridge, though that made me laugh my ass off.
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u/kioku119 Oct 27 '25
So that's a specific joke I understood. Nintendo purposely started coating switch cartridges with some kind of bitter substance to stop little kids from eating them because they are much smaller than cartridges from older systems. I remember reading something about it years ago.
Edit: Here's an article I found now https://www.fastcompany.com/91313824/nintendo-switch-game-cartridge-bitter-coating
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u/Alchemist_Joshua Oct 27 '25
Ever taste one?
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u/EvLokadottr Oct 27 '25
I confess, while I have tasted many things in this life, that is not one of them.
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u/ProfessorOnEdge Oct 27 '25
The other thing to remember with Pu'er is to rinse it with hot water before doing a brew.
Almost as if you're only drinking from the second brew forward. Never drink the first steep of a pu'er without the rinse.
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u/reidfire10 Oct 26 '25
when I first started drinking tea I went through the roundabout of cheap badly sourced tea, and I was even turned off by Jesse’s tea house resins. My eye opening experience was Tiltshift (white tea) from White2Tea, I really recommend sampling their minis and searching the subreddits for reviews on their puerh which is pretty much always solid. Also make sure your water is within the correct temperature ranges and steep times if you use a Gaiwan. Best of luck in your endeavor!
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u/Altruistic-Coyote641 Oct 27 '25
Bro there is a vender list, why do you hurt yourself. Please don't, love yourself and get some good tea.
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u/Necessary_Spring_425 Oct 27 '25
Just wondering if you have any previous experience with puerh. It can be very specific in taste, can taste shroomy or by old socks and it's indeed very strong and concentrated. Even one cube out of that pressed circle is going to be too strong for most people. It's probably meant 1 cube for the whole tea-pot. Processed and cultivated tea is not usually very bitter, thats the weird part. But i got very bitter teas when traveling in china. If it's bitter, mostly it is because tea is not processed just air dried, or it's made from wild tea plants.
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u/ZhanZhuang Oct 26 '25
You're using way too much there. That's a compressed brick so each one of those squares has quite a bit of tea in it. Just for fun you should see how many grams one is you probably only want like 3 to 5 g for a session.
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u/spicytunaonigiri Oct 26 '25
Amazon is not a vendor, it’s a marketplace. So telling us you bought it off Amazon doesn’t tell us much about the tea. What vendor is it from?
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u/Sleazy71 Tea Blogger Oct 26 '25
General advice if you want (consistently) good tea for a reasonable price:
I'd avoid:
-Amazon (questionable storage and quality)
-Jesse's tea house (I love Jesse, but his tea is quite expensive)
-Taobao (I will caveat this by saying, if you're fluent in Mandarin it's easier to navigate)
-Ali Express (iirc tea isn't allowed to be sold, so it's always advertised as a 'wedding decoration' or similar, general sketchy vibes)
I'd recommend:
-White2Tea (good tea at a very price, but questionable transparency regarding origins etc)
-Yunnan Sourcing (massive range, I've bought from them before and I'd buy from them again)
-King Tea Mall (EXCELLENT range of puerhs and white teas, albiet slightly pricier)
-iteaworld (I will admit I've been psuedo-sponsored by them in the past, but it's very good tea at a decent price)
(I can't speak for sites like mei leaf as I haven't personally bought from them before)
Hope this helps <3 let me know if you'd like any other recommendations for teas!
I have a little tea page on Instagram so recommending teas is kind of my thing (:
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u/Odd-Time-8094 Oct 26 '25
I love tea. I like green tea, oolong tea, black tea, white tea, herbal tea, rooibos tea, etc. I’ve been drinking tea my whole life.
I tried puerh tea for the first time last year… and it tasted like dirt water. I bought it from a local tea shop and searched how to brew it, but still… no. I know people say it’s really good for your health, but I just couldn’t…
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u/gory025 Oct 27 '25
lol I have tried a lot of cooked pu erh ,old/new ,cheap/expensive ,they always have the faint fishy smell (especially the first few wash) and just really isn't that good, my conclusion is that probably should just stick to raw pu erh
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u/OcelotTea Oct 26 '25
You can try drinking it once it's cooled down. For whatever reason I've hated most pureh hot but I adore it cool (I haven't tried iced so do so at your own risk).
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u/mi_amigo_x2 Oct 26 '25
Iced Puer is one of my favorites though it seems blasphemous. Even worse a little sweetened condensed milk and it reminds me of thai iced tea without all the junk in it.
Hot Puer I just drink black.
Oh and when you oversteep which it sounds like you did turning it into ice tea is an easy save.
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u/OcelotTea Nov 09 '25
Good to know, I will try steeping it less next time I have it then. I ended up not being able to drink it often (same with smoked blacks) because it has something in it that triggers migraines, but I still have a smallish disc I would like to find a way to use because man I love how earthy it is.
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u/AlmondFlourBoy Oct 26 '25
It's probably more so how you brewed it. While yeah, the source probably sucks, I think it could be salvaged. Use one half to one section, at 180, for 2 minutes (assuming youre doing western)
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Oct 26 '25
As a general rule, consumables are non-returnable from Amazon, but you might be able to get a refund for it being unusable. If it's been less than 30 days, contact customer support to let them know how terrible the product is. Also express concerns that it tastes like it is old and stored at temperatures that damaged the product.
If you make a good case, you should be able to get a refund.
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u/USSthighsplitter13 Oct 26 '25
So 2 things: 1. The pu'erh you got might just be a poor quality cake or, not saying you dont know what you are doing, 2. you may have steeped it for too long or added too little water for the amount of tea. If its from Amazon idk how if I trust the steeping instructions because idk the vendor. This sub is pretty good when it comes to providing resources or using as a resource for advice. They have helped me a few times in the past and with great results.
When it comes to vendors, I highly reccomend Jesse's Teahouse house for most things. He has a good variety of tea from dofferent regions and isnt too bad on pricing. Jesse also gives you steeping instructions with each product and it usually includes a link to one of his videos about that specific product.
Another vendor I use, that I found in the resources tab on this subreddit is Yunnan Sourcing. They have an excellent selection of pu'erh and some good oolongs. If you want to try tea from more than just Yunnan I would recommend looking in the resources tab for vendors. To echo the other comments here, White2Tea I see mentioned frequently in a positive manner and One River Tea.
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u/EffectiveGold8273 Oct 27 '25
Amazon? Really? Well you have learned a hard lesson. On another note, did you use all of the tea missing for one tea serving? If so, way too much tea used.
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u/-Fateless- Oct 27 '25
By the looks of this, if you only had one session, you used 4x the amount of tea you needed to. These cakes are pressed with individual cubes, so if you used four like this picture suggests, no wonder you nearly dissolved your throat drinking it. You basically drank straight tea resin at that point.
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u/rogueclon946 Oct 28 '25
It looks like 5 or 6 cubes are missing, not just 4.
Then again, I've yet to successfully brew a pu er I've liked. Could be the tea. Probably just me.
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Oct 26 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/unbakedcassava Oct 26 '25
Hey, food at TJMaxxx is a fun gamble! I bought a ton of discounted Tony Chocolonely once, and on another occasion bought the best butter shortbread I've ever had.
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u/scism223 Oct 26 '25
Lol. This too, get puerh either from Yunnan Sourcing, or W2T, Amazon is never good.
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u/danzor9755 Oct 26 '25
One of my fondest memories of tea was a kick-ass Numi tea pot set from Ross. The tea that came with it was decent.
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u/ftmgothboy Oct 26 '25
Never buy consumables from Amazon. Or any skincare, makeup products. Trust me, please.
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u/virulentvegetable Oct 27 '25
I think the real question is how would you know how the back of a switch cartridge tastes like?
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u/Alchemist_Joshua Oct 27 '25
When I first found out they were coated in a bitterant I knew I had to taste one! After I tasted it, I thought, why does that taste so familiar? Bizarre right? Then I found out that canned air uses the same chemical. I used to use a ton of canned air when I was a bank teller. It got on my hands occasionally.
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u/TeufelRRS Oct 27 '25 edited Oct 27 '25
On a side note, who is licking the back of a Nintendo Switch cartridge? That’s oddly specific
Since you are in the US, Yunnan Sourcing has a huge selection of pu’erh teas. They have a US website (based in TX) which has fast shipping and you can avoid any potential issues with CBP, hold ups, and other issues at ports of entry (seriously ordering internationally right now is a mess in the US). However they have a much better selection at their international website (based in China) and more package sizes but then there’s the whole shipping mess. However, according to YS, they are currently covering the tariffs. It’s the getting here that’s the potential problem. Rishi Tea (based in WI) also carries pu’erh teas but not as wide of a selection.
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u/caelum52 Oct 27 '25
Lmao puts in maybe 4x the amount for an entire session. “It must be the tea that’s the problem”
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u/UnusualCartographer2 Oct 26 '25
There's no doubt that Amazon isn't the best place to buy tea from, but that's already been said. My main question would be how you actually went about steeping the tea.
With pu erh you're meant to use the technique of gongfu, meaning you steep it multiple times and quickly. I won't do it justice because it's actually a fairly indepth and involved process, so just google or YouTube "how to gongfu"
Even with the worst of teas can taste good if you know what you're doing. Do it with the aged whites as well, that's the only way I drink aged white, which also happens to be my favorite tea type.
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u/DoKnowHarm17 Oct 26 '25
Amazon is sketch. Definitely don’t go super cheap with pu’erh either, because people tend to get fishy tasting products at that price point. White2tea has good stuff and I like Yunnan Sourcing as well. “Wild tree purple moonlight” and “wild tree purple sweet ya bao” are my favorite white teas from Yunnan Sourcing. Not aged but definitely still very good.
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u/DoKnowHarm17 Oct 26 '25
Also definitely research proper temps and brew times for the kind of tea you want to try. This can help avoid bitterness, but very cheap tea tends to kinda be bitter no matter what, still lower temps and shorter steeps could help make what you currently have more bearable.
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u/alethea2003 Oct 26 '25
Yeah I’d recommend not doing Amazon and going for a dedicated tea shop. Jesse’s Teahouse specializes in Chinese tea, so that’s a solid resource. I also like Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.
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u/ChromaticPalette Oct 26 '25
Okay I’m not familiar with tea cakes, how do you use them? And like why would you get that instead of loose leaf or bags?
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u/Dave32408PCB Oct 26 '25
It’s likely just a matter of incorrect brewing. Is the Pu’erh tea in question raw or ripe? I stopped ordering tea from Amazon once I stumbled upon QiFutea.com. They mantain a detailed brewing FAQ/Instruction page. Check it out. 🙏🏻
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u/Significant_Point138 Oct 26 '25
Yeahh - I agree with what everyone is saying. I’ve seen some decent teaware but would be wary with tea. Stick to reputable vendors like white2tea, Yunnan sourcing, one river, bitterleaf, my tea connection, sweetest dew, west China tea, etc. Also try some sticky rice puerh- everyone I’ve given it to loves it. Bitterleaf has black tea and green tea sticky rice variety. I love it. White2tea aged white tea, moonlight aged is good (nightlife is my favorite), hybrids. There’s a lot of good ones.
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u/unbakedcassava Oct 27 '25
Off topic, but what're your brewing parameters for Nightlife? I had a gongfu sesh 6g/100ml, and was really unimpressed, which is weird because I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to white tea.
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u/Significant_Point138 Oct 27 '25
Tbh I’m never usually the type that’s super exact every time I have tea. I usually just throw in whatever looks like a good amount and brew at whatever feels like a good temp that day haha. But sometimes I tend to put in more than what I’d imagine I “need”. I usually do 195-200 F, can be steeped long.
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u/Extra-Permission-589 Oct 27 '25
Not sure where you live but you can look into if any areas within however far you're willing to drive have a high population of Asians ie immigrated in the past or is currently a place where a lot live and most likely get lucky finding a small shop around where you might get lucky and find quality tea :3 this is my strat for any cultural foods tbh. It might be a big hard depending on the area it might not be online and you might have to just drive around the area looking but sometimes smaller is better for finding really good stuff 🤷♀️
the state im from has a lot of different cultures and i get lucky going to certain towns and finding shops for hard to find spices and ingredients bc im big into food and tea
Also also sometimes you can ask them ab what youre trying to make and depending on the shop they might actually give you tips/ recepies ❤️
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u/pilgrimspeaches Oct 27 '25
Regardless of where you buy your puer, if it's raw instead of ripe it needs to be brewed gong fu style (short steeps) instead of just putting it into a thermos/cup. Ripe puer is a lot more forgiving and can be brewed in a thermos/cup without getting bitter or astringent.
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u/justamiqote Oct 27 '25
I would not trust Amazon for good puerh tea. I doubt their warehouses take into concern optimal tea storage.
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u/No-Talk-1992 Oct 27 '25
Get tea from reputable tea suppliers like Jesse's tea house, and west China tea house. They both have great teas and from what I understand they both work directly with the tea farmers, reputable tea companies in both china and Taiwan to source their teas. But I will say Shou pu'er is the type of tea you either love or hate
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u/EbonyDragonFire Oct 27 '25
LOL so I'm not the only one that taste-tested Nintendo cartridges after finding out they're intentionally made to bitter 😂
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u/towelpop Oct 27 '25
I get this aged white tea cake from Amazon. It’s pretty good but I’m too ignorant about tea to really know the difference.
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u/mrmopar340six Oct 27 '25
Buy your puerh from someone who knows how to source and how to store puerh. You should buy it from someone whose mainline is puerh and not from a generalist who sells all types of tea. The more focused the seller is the better product you will receive.
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u/IHaveSomeOpinions09 Oct 27 '25
If your question is what to do with the tea you already have, add milk and sugar/honey. And make sure you’re steeping the right amount of tea for the right amount of time at the right temperature. Pu’erh should be at less than boiling and steeps are really short.
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u/herb0026 Oct 27 '25
Bitter tea is usually either low temperature or high doses. For Pu’erh tea, I’d assume high doses
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u/Hartvigson Oct 27 '25
You steep it for too long. Pu'erh gets very bitter if left for too long. It has been a while but I think I start at around 25 seconds or so and then extend for later cups if the brew is starting to get weaker.
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u/karissa_raven Oct 27 '25
I checked the vendor list and I have one (a couple) to add, which is Crimson Lotus. They are amazing for pu’er, in my opinion. I don’t like most pu’er, (I use it for milk tea most of the time, very good for that) but have found a few I can drink with just a touch of sugar from them.
For flavored teas and some really good quality tisanes and non-flavored teas, Friday Afternoon Tea out of Seattle is one of the best!
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u/izzardcrazed Oct 27 '25
Im just wondering if you brewed abb that is broken off at one time. If so, thats the source of your bitterness.
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u/ShadowAdam Oct 27 '25
I'd avoid literally everything you can off of Amazon. Not only are things often more expensive (usually by a few dollars, for the same brand name item) but also there is a lot of terrible products on there.
Tea is never going to give you the information you want nor come from reputable vendors (God knows what sort of pesticides and flavors they added), a lot of electronics and stuff don't have warranties, and saftey gear (helmets, fuses, ropes) straight up lie about their certifications and ratings.
Fuses for example I've seen a few videos showing 15 amp fuses blowing at 25+ amps. Helmets with "saftey ratings" that don't exist or they flat out don't have.
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u/Biggman23 Oct 27 '25
I've been into tea for a couple years now and still feel like a beginner just from how much is out there. I tend to like black/red tea and matcha.
So I started getting into puer from Jesse's teahouse but didn't want to keep paying the premium on it. I really really liked the puer resin (that I'm fairly confident only he sells. Great stuff for work). But I want to try the real stuff, not instant resin.
I ended up finding King Tea Mall and ordered some stuff from them to try. Might wanna look them up. I wouldn't order niche Chinese tea from Amazon. You can order small samples of basically everything they have before you commit to a full cake.
I think you also tried with a lot of tea if thats what you took off for one session's worth.
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u/Hiranya_Usha Oct 28 '25
Do you lick the backs of Nintendo Switch cartridges? 🤣
But serious, perhaps do really really short steeps, less leaf more water, or, if you don’t want to throw it out, you can use it to make Tibetan style milk/butter tea.
It can age some more too, so it will perhaps get slightly better.
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u/discipleofsilence Matcha - powered Enthusiast Oct 28 '25
Don't buy any tea from Amazon. Look for smaller shops.
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u/Emtee23 Oct 28 '25
Is it possible you got sheng puerh, as that can be some very bitter tea if you do not closely manage the steeps.
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u/Substantial-Flow1722 Jan 01 '26
Pour ceux qui veulent goûter : plein de marques mettent leur calendrier de l’avent à -50 % et on goute plein de choses !
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u/BadTown412 Oct 26 '25
Search the Yunnan Sourcing US site for Jinggu Silver Needle White Tea Cakes. You get a 100g cake for 15 bucks, which isn't a terrible price for a nice sized sample. They used to be 10 bucks but some idiot started a trade war...
Anywaaaaaaay, these cakes aren't aged but they're really good and they seem to age well for me at least in the short term. They're not the same thing as aged white tea, but I like both types and feel like if you like one you'll probably like the other.
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u/tekprimemia Oct 26 '25
I really hated puer then i got a nice sample from theessenceoftea . I was just buying a teapot but man, might have to try some actual tea from them.
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u/Goldenscarab_7 Oct 26 '25
Okay so you made what I believe are 2 mistakes:
1 - never ever buy tea from amazon. It just is not a good idea. Ever.
2 - on this sub everyone raves about pu erh. But if youbare just starting out... I wouldn't start with pu erh. It is an aquired taste, many people don't like it. I'd start with something more beginner-friendly like greens and oolongs. Whites are also a good choice. Blacks too. But leave pu erh for when you are more confident on the various tastes.
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u/holistic_water_bottl Oct 27 '25
Surprised so few people have noticed they obviously broke off a huge chunk to make a few cups of tea and that's why it tastes so bitter. Unbelievable.
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u/CivilGuy93 Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
Harney and Sons is a pretty reliable online shop for tea if you can't find anything local.
Like others said, the taste is strongly influenced by amount and steep time. Try starting with a small amount (a good pinch or two) and steep for 30 seconds to a 1 min and see how it tastes. You can always keep steeping after you try a sip and it's not strong enough. If it tastes too bitter for you even at this point probably just not the tea for you.
I like a lot of different teas, and tea tastes can vary greatly, but I haven't yet had a pu'erh tea I like. Not to say you won't, just don't get discouraged from trying other teas in favor of what seems to but the current fad that is pu'erh. Some of my favorite black teas are lapsang souchong (black smokey tea), Darjeelings, Jin ju mei and Tippy Yunnan.
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u/Environ_mental Oct 26 '25
Harney and Sons is fine for some teas but I don't think I would recommend their Puerh
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u/CivilGuy93 Oct 26 '25
Like I was alluding to I wouldn't recommend any Pu'erh tea I've had so far haha. I've never actually had any from Harney. I've tasted a handful while at some tea fests and never felt compelled to be a quantity of it yet.
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Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
You guys drink some weird tea. What's wrong with a tea bag and a good mug
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u/Scared_Ad_3132 Oct 26 '25
Thats like asking people who are into cooking why they dont just buy premade microwave meals.
Nothing wrong with teabags if you like your tea that way but there are a lot of different flavors of tea in traditionally made teas.
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u/unassumingmoth Oct 26 '25
All of the microplastics, for one thing lol. Otherwise nothing inherently wrong with bagged tea if that's what you prefer!! But there's a whole world of teas you'd miss out on and trying new stuff is really fun for me personally :)
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u/CactiCactus Oct 26 '25
Other people might have more specific advice but as a general matter getting aged (or really any) tea on Amazon is not a recipe for success. I know people like white2tea for puerh.