Chrysanthemum Pu’er Cold Brew Tea Recipe
About This Chrysanthemum Pu’er Cold Brew Tea
Chinese Name: 菊花普洱冷泡茶
What It Is: A cold-brewed tea made with pu'er tea leaves, dried chrysanthemum, dried longans and goji berries.
Servings: 4
Water: 1.2L
Brewing Method: Cold brewed overnight in the refrigerator.
Flavour: Earthy pu'er balanced with floral chrysanthemum and the subtle natural sweetness of dried longan and goji berries.
Does It Need Sweetener? Not necessarily. Taste it first; the dried fruit already contributes some sweetness. Add honey or another sweetener only if you want it.
Is This a Traditional Chinese Tea Recipe? The individual ingredients have long histories in Chinese food and tea culture, but this particular combination and cold-brew method is simply my own way of putting them together.
We've been getting another round of hazy days here in Singapore, and somehow that made me want something cold, refreshing and soothing to sip throughout the day. Instead of reaching for another coffee, I went back down my tea rabbit hole and threw together pu'er tea, chrysanthemum, dried longans and goji berries.
Everything goes into cold water, sits in the fridge overnight and that's basically it. The longan brings a very gentle natural sweetness, chrysanthemum gives the brew its floral character, while the pu'er sits underneath everything with that distinctive earthy depth.
None of these ingredients are particularly unusual in Chinese tea culture. Pu'er, or 普洱茶, comes from Yunnan and has a long history as a fermented tea, while chrysanthemum tea, 菊花茶, has been consumed in China for centuries. Dried longan and goji berries are also commonly used in Chinese drinks, soups and herbal preparations.
Putting all four together isn't something I'm claiming as a traditional tea formula, though. This is simply my cold-brew combination. And cold brewing changes the experience quite a bit: instead of pouring boiling water over everything, the slow extraction in the refrigerator gives me a gentler brew that I find ridiculously easy to drink.
The best part is that you don't really have to do anything. Throw everything into a bottle or pitcher before going to bed, give it a shake and forget about it until the next day. Drink it as it is if you enjoy tea without sugar, or add a little honey or whatever sweetener you prefer.
You can also adjust the next batch to your own taste: more longan for sweetness, more chrysanthemum for floral notes, or play around with the strength of the pu'er.
Give this combination a try if you want something different from the usual iced tea. Just don't expect some magical haze remedy from me; I'm making tea, not medicine.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Pu'er Tea Leaves, 9g
Chrysanthemum, 9g
Dried Longans, 12g
Goji Berries, 6g
Equipment:
Hario Cold Brew Tea Bottle / Tea Pot / Tea Pitcher
Directions:
Add the pu'er tea leaves, dried chrysanthemum, dried longans and goji berries to a clean cold-brew tea bottle, teapot or pitcher. I'm using my Hario Cold Brew Tea Bottle.
Pour in 1.2L of cold drinking water.
Close the bottle or pitcher and give everything a gentle shake or stir to distribute the ingredients through the water.
Transfer to the refrigerator and allow the tea to cold brew overnight.
The following day, strain the tea as you pour if your bottle or pitcher doesn't already have a built-in filter.
Taste the tea before adding anything else. The dried longans already contribute a subtle sweetness, so you may find that you don't need additional sweetener.
Serve chilled as it is, or add honey or your preferred sweetener to taste.
Keep the tea refrigerated. If you want to brew the ingredients again, add fresh drinking water and refrigerate immediately. I would only make one additional cold brew rather than repeatedly topping up the same ingredients indefinitely.
Tips
Taste before sweetening.
Dried longans and goji berries already bring some natural sweetness to the brew. You can always add honey later, but you can't take it back out.
Adjust the next batch rather than obsessing over this one.
Want it more floral? Increase the chrysanthemum slightly. Want more natural sweetness? Try a little more dried longan. This is tea, not a cake formula.
Keep everything refrigerated.
Cold brewing is a long extraction, so brew and store the tea in the refrigerator rather than leaving it overnight at room temperature.
Use a bottle with a filter if possible.
Something like the Hario Cold Brew Tea Bottle makes this particularly easy because you can pour without having tea leaves and flowers ending up in your glass.
Don't endlessly re-brew the same ingredients.
You can try a second refrigerated brew if there is still plenty of flavour left, but I wouldn't keep topping the bottle up indefinitely.
Don't treat this as medicine.
I made this because I wanted something cool and soothing to drink during Singapore's hazy weather. It isn't a treatment for haze exposure or any medical condition.
FAQ
What is Chrysanthemum Pu’er Cold Brew Tea?
This is a refrigerated cold-brew tea made with pu'er tea leaves, dried chrysanthemum flowers, dried longans and goji berries. The ingredients steep slowly in cold water overnight rather than being brewed with hot water.
What does Chrysanthemum Pu’er Cold Brew Tea taste like?
Pu'er provides an earthy tea base while chrysanthemum contributes floral notes. Dried longans and goji berries soften the brew with subtle fruitiness and natural sweetness.
Can pu'er tea be cold brewed?
Yes. Pu'er can be extracted in cold water by allowing it to steep for several hours in the refrigerator. The resulting drink will taste different from traditionally hot-brewed pu'er because the extraction temperature and time are completely different.
Do I need to add honey?
No. I prefer tasting the finished tea first because the dried longans and goji berries already contribute some sweetness. Add honey or another sweetener only if you feel the tea needs it.
Can I change the amount of longan or chrysanthemum?
Absolutely. Treat the recipe as a starting point. Increase the longan if you want more natural sweetness or adjust the chrysanthemum depending on how floral you want the finished tea.
Can I re-brew the tea?
You can try making a second refrigerated cold brew if the ingredients still have plenty of flavour, although the second batch will naturally be lighter. I wouldn't continuously refill the same ingredients for multiple days.
Is this tea a remedy for haze?
No. I enjoy it as a cool, refreshing drink during Singapore's hazy weather, but this recipe isn't intended to prevent or treat the health effects of haze exposure.
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