The so-called brewability refers to tea maintaining its taste and soup color without significant change after multiple brews.

Generally, tea stems affect the appearance of tea leaves, so people often overlook the advantages of tea stems and regard them with disdain. However, it is little known that tea stems play a very important role in the quality of tea.

Pu-erh tea is relatively brewable. The reason it is brewable is due to the substances contained within Pu-erh tea. The arbor Pu-erh tea trees have grown for hundreds to thousands of years, and their leaves and buds have accumulated rich nutrients, which inevitably require many brews to be fully released during consumption.

Tea stems contain a considerable amount of aromatic substances. The aroma of tea leaves decreases gradually from the first leaf to the third leaf, while the aroma of tea stems is the highest. The aromatic substances of tea are mainly found in the tea stems and the main veins of young leaves, and the amino acid content in young stems is higher than that in young leaves. The vascular bundles in the stems are the main conduits for nutrients and aroma. Most of the substances they contain are water-soluble. During tea processing, the aroma transfers from the stems to the leaves along with water evaporation. These substances combine and transform with the effective substances in the leaves after transfer, forming a higher and stronger aroma quality.

In summary, the brewability of tea is related to tea stems. Appropriate tea stems are necessary to produce tea with high aroma and rich taste. The required length of tea stems varies depending on the tea type and variety. For some tea friends who wonder whether they need to remove tea stems when brewing tea, I believe they will have the answer now.