Assam vs Pu-erh: what is the difference?
Assam steeps longer than Pu-erh: 4–5 min vs 2–4 min.
Compare two teas
Strong, malty black tea from India's lowlands. The backbone of breakfast blends and masala chai.
- Black tea
Fermented, aged tea from Yunnan. Earthy, smooth and dark. Rinse the leaves once with hot water before brewing.
- Pu-erh
- 100 °C · 212 °F
- Water
- 100 °C · 212 °F
- 4–5 min
- Steep
- 2–4 min
- 2.5 g · 1 tsp
- Leafper 250 ml
- 4 g · 1 tsp
- ×1
- Infusions
- ×8
- ~60 mg
- Caffeine
- ~50 mg
- 100%
- Oxidation
- fermented
- 0%
- Milk
- 0%
- Body
- ♨ Hot
- Served
- ♨ Hot
More about Assam vs Pu-erh
- Assam: water 100 °C · 212 °F, steep 4–5 min.
- Pu-erh: water 100 °C · 212 °F, steep 2–4 min.
- Leaf per 250 ml — Assam: 2.5 g · 1 tsp, Pu-erh: 4 g · 1 tsp.
- Oxidation — Assam: 100%, Pu-erh: fermented.
- Infusions — Assam: ×1, Pu-erh: ×8.
- Caffeine — Assam: ~60 mg, Pu-erh: ~50 mg.
All teas
Tap a tea to see how to brew it.
-
Sencha
Japan's everyday green tea. Steamed leaves give a fresh, grassy, slightly savoury cup. Too-hot water makes it bitter.
🇯🇵75°1½′♨ -
Dragon Well (Longjing)
China's most famous green tea. Flat pan-fired leaves, nutty and sweet, like toasted chestnut.
🇨🇳80°3′♨ -
Matcha
Stone-ground green tea powder whisked into water, so you drink the whole leaf. Creamy, grassy and high in caffeine.
🇯🇵75°30″♨ -
Hojicha
Japanese green tea roasted until brown. Toasty, caramel-like and very low in caffeine, good in the evening.
🇯🇵90°1′♨ -
Jasmine Tea
Green tea scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. Floral and light, a classic in Chinese restaurants.
🇨🇳80°3′♨ -
Silver Needle (White Tea)
The most delicate white tea, made only from downy buds. Barely processed, pale, honeyed and soft.
🇨🇳80°5′♨ -
Yellow Tea
A rare Chinese tea, made like green tea but gently smothered to remove grassiness. Mellow and sweet.
🇨🇳80°3′♨ -
Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess)
A lightly oxidised, rolled oolong. Floral and creamy; the leaves open up over many steeps.
🇨🇳90°3′♨ -
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe)
A roasted rock oolong from the Wuyi mountains. Toasty and mineral, with a long sweet finish.
🇨🇳95°3′♨ -
Darjeeling
The 'champagne of teas' from the Himalayan foothills. Light for a black tea, with a fruity, floral note.
🇮🇳90°3′♨ -
Assam
Strong, malty black tea from India's lowlands. The backbone of breakfast blends and masala chai.
🇮🇳100°5′♨ -
English Breakfast
A robust black tea blend, usually Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan. Made to take milk and sugar.
🇬🇧100°5′♨ -
Earl Grey
Black tea flavoured with oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. Fragrant and bright, with or without milk.
🇬🇧100°4′♨ -
Pu-erh
Fermented, aged tea from Yunnan. Earthy, smooth and dark. Rinse the leaves once with hot water before brewing.
🇨🇳100°4′♨ -
Masala Chai
Indian spiced tea: black tea simmered with milk, sugar, ginger and cardamom.
🇮🇳100°5′♨ -
Matcha Latte
Matcha whisked with a little water and topped with steamed milk. Sweet, green and mellow.
🇯🇵75°30″♨ -
London Fog
An Earl Grey latte: tea with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. Invented in Vancouver.
🇨🇦100°4′♨ -
Bubble Tea
Taiwanese milk tea shaken with ice and served over chewy tapioca pearls, with a wide straw.
🇹🇼100°5′🧊 -
Thai Iced Tea
Strong spiced black tea with condensed milk over ice, famous for its orange colour.
🇹🇭100°5′🧊 -
Hong Kong Milk Tea
Very strong black tea pulled through a cloth filter and mixed with evaporated milk. Silky and bold.
🇭🇰100°8′♨
All teas as a table
| Tea | Type | Oxidation | Water | Steep | Leaf (per 250 ml) | Infusions | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sencha | Green tea | 0% | 75 °C · 167 °F | 1–1½ min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×3 | ~30 mg |
| Dragon Well (Longjing) | Green tea | 0% | 80 °C · 176 °F | 2–3 min | 2.5 g · 1½ tsp | ×3 | ~30 mg |
| Matcha | Green tea | 0% | 75 °C · 167 °F | whisk 30 s | 2 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~70 mg |
| Hojicha | Green tea | 0% | 90 °C · 194 °F | ½–1 min | 3 g · 2 tsp | ×2 | ~10 mg |
| Jasmine Tea | Green tea | 0% | 80 °C · 176 °F | 2–3 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×3 | ~25 mg |
| Silver Needle (White Tea) | White tea | 10% | 80 °C · 176 °F | 4–5 min | 3 g · 2 tsp | ×3 | ~25 mg |
| Yellow Tea | Yellow tea | 15% | 80 °C · 176 °F | 2–3 min | 2.5 g · 1½ tsp | ×3 | ~30 mg |
| Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) | Oolong | 20% | 90 °C · 194 °F | 2–3 min | 3 g · 1 tsp | ×6 | ~35 mg |
| Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) | Oolong | 60% | 95 °C · 203 °F | 2–3 min | 3 g · 1½ tsp | ×5 | ~40 mg |
| Darjeeling | Black tea | 85% | 90 °C · 194 °F | 3 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×2 | ~40 mg |
| Assam | Black tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 4–5 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~60 mg |
| English Breakfast | Black tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 3–5 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~50 mg |
| Earl Grey | Black tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 3–4 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~45 mg |
| Pu-erh | Dark tea | fermented | 100 °C · 212 °F | 2–4 min | 4 g · 1 tsp | ×8 | ~50 mg |
| Masala Chai | Milk tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | simmer 5 min | 3 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~40 mg |
| Matcha Latte | Milk tea | 0% | 75 °C · 167 °F | whisk 30 s | 2 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~70 mg |
| London Fog | Milk tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 4 min | 2.5 g · 1 tsp | ×1 | ~45 mg |
| Bubble Tea | Milk tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 5 min, then shake with ice | 3 g · 2 tsp | ×1 | ~60 mg |
| Thai Iced Tea | Milk tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 5 min | 4 g · 2 tsp | ×1 | ~50 mg |
| Hong Kong Milk Tea | Milk tea | 100% | 100 °C · 212 °F | 6–8 min | 5 g · 2 tsp | ×1 | ~70 mg |
One plant, six kinds of tea
All true tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What changes is how much the leaves oxidise after picking.
What is in the cup
- Green tea
- Matcha
- Matcha froth
- Roasted green tea
- White tea
- Yellow tea
- Oolong
- Amber tea
- Black tea
- Pu-erh
- Thai tea
- Milk
- Milk foam
- Condensed milk
- Vanilla syrup
- Tapioca pearls