I don't mean to sound dumb, but is there a decaf pu-erh out there?

How decaf is decaf? In other words, do you really need to get it all out, or can you tolerate a little?

The reason why I ask is, Pu'er, more than most other teas, tends to taste better in later steeps than in the first one or two. Really great Pu'ers, in fact, often don't reach their peak until maybe five or even more steeps. I don't have firm numbers for you, but there couldn't be a lot of caffeine left at this point.

/Lew

yeh, if it's just a 'diet' and not a 'health' thing, then just steep the pu a couple of times and throw out the tea (or better yet, give it to your dog sparky. There are few things dogs like more than the rich, earthy taste of pu).. that will get out the vast majority of caffeine. Then enjoy your pu.

Hrm... FIve brewings? Good golly miss molly. I only brew my sencha green 3 times. Do you guys use less weater each time?

Nope. Same amount of water and same amount of weather :) I also increase temperature from 4 brewing on and start boiling it at brew 8 on. If a sheng puer boiled for 20 min at brew #12 is still good you know where you buying your next batch.

Sasha.

That's amazing! How long does it take you to brew it twelve times? Is this over a period of a few days, or one day, with heavy drinking?

No. Really good (especially aged) Pu'er is *extremely* different from Sencha.

/Lew

Depends on what you consider heavy drinking. If your brewing vessel yields four ounces, twelve steeps is a quart and a half.

/Lew

I normally drink 12 cups a day. Remember myself laughing at my dad who did that for years. His was ceylon, though. Later in life found myself doing it too, but first with green teas and now almost exlusively sheng puer.

Sasha.

Lewis snipped-for-privacy@panix1.panix.com11/20/05 15: snipped-for-privacy@panix.com

Daniel,

Besides which, the best case scenario is to have friends to the right of you, friends to the left of you, friends in front of you, friends all around you. If you are alone though, a wee tiny gaiwan of two ounces would do the trick.

Michael

I can easily get 1 liter ~ 1qt from any 3g of shu. That is the upper limit for sheng. I drink puer off the top from 500ml glass. The British got it right. The first pot is always the best. Late night shu doesn't keep me up like sheng. I don't drink costly teas of any genre so the grass also gets the benefit of the doubt. If I don't empty the first pot it's because I'm too lazy to start over. Buy puer by the kilo. You won't need to restock.

Jim

Lewis Per>