var sampling_rate = 100; Harney & Sons Ancient Tree Pu-Erh – best oldest ancient Pu-Erh. new XMLHttpRequest() When the cake loosens and gives way, the tool may suddenly slip, cutting or jabbing anything in its path. As we know, the compressed pu-erh tea can be divided into three types, cake, bowl and brick. do_request = ( 1 === num ); If you want the tea to last for a long time, you might leave more intact chunks; if you don’t want a marathon tea drinking session, you might break it up more. I keep telling him not to do that, now I have a pro to back me up when I show him this webpage. I find the awl by itself works well on very compressed cakes. thanks for all the sharings, I also learn the different ways to break compressed pu-erh tea. I suggest washing hands, tools, plates etc to avoid mold. However, this could result in a brew that is too strong for beginning tea drinkers. This is probably due to steeping whole leaves rather than bits. Of course, it’s not necessarily bad but it’s not the natural process, not anymore. Copyright 2011-2020 Teavivre ® hosted by Teas and Thes (China) Ltd. All Rights Reserved. /* Send request */ Login For the really hard to break cakes I still break the awl out though. I am not the Barb with above question and answer. A Bing is usually a round, flat and disc or puck shaped tea brick and can range in size from 100g to as large as 5 kg or more. As mentioned, Pu-erh tea can be compressed into a variety of different shapes and almost any size. However, a bing Pu-erh is much more tightly compressed than a tuocha, so if you can not use your needle to pry the tea flakes out of your bing, then you may wish to use a tea knife instead. Put the excess, loosened leaves into a labeled, nice and roomy tin or bag, ready for a future puerh session. I kept switching from these teas depending on my moods later. This is also depend on your taste, if you have a stronger taste, you can put more amount. Because it is compressed, it is able be stored for that long. Like green tea, black tea, and white tea, pu-erh tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Once some chunks of leaf begin to come loose from the cake, I use my bare hands and fingers to gently pull the loosened leaves apart, working them back and forth to untangle them. A pu-erh brick … ), Here’s my technique in more detail … I hope I can describe it properly. Reporting back after a tea leaf rest. Once it is broken from cakes or bricks, brewing Pu-erh is very similar to brewing loose tea. Even, some methods may need to be improved. Pu-erh tuocha tea cakes range in size from a very tiny individual serving 3 grams, to upwards of 3 kilograms although the more common sizes for a Pu-erh tuocha are 100g, 250g and 500g. Pu-erh Tea is often available in cakes or bricks. It has junkies who buy kilos of the stuff at a time to bliss out on days-long brewing sessions, only dropping out of their highs long enough to argue over the best pu-erh … Of course, different people have different taste, its just a recommend way. Prying and removing Pu-erh tea leaves from a bing Pu-erh is much the same as prying leaves from a Pu-erh tuocha, so you can use the same needle insertion method to also pry the tea flakes from your Pu-erh bing. It’s known that this system does not end when one opens a cake. Although it may take you a long time to perfect your prying skills with Pu-erh tea. If you are having difficulty prying your Pu-erh tea from the cake or brick, here are some tips to help you: Pu-erh tea in brick form has a square or rectangular shape, and some may have a tea or manufacturer brand impressed directly into the tea cake. In addition to these surface things, there are all kinds of weird things that you may end up finding in the cake itself, so if you’re really squeamish, you might consider just not drinking pu’er. Where can I find it? You needn’t break up the lump again, due to the water will break up it when you brew the tea. 1. Recently, I have saw many videos on how to break and loosen the compressed pu-erh tea, many people have his or her way to break it. A simple, old-fashioned letter opener works pretty well for prying apart the leaves of a compressed, dried puerh cake or brick. After prying, you just need to put the whole chunk (the grams depended on the container that you use) into a cup. With a tuocha, turning the tea on its back and choose a concave edge to select the easiest place to insert your tea needle. To brew, bring fresh, filtered water to about 190℉, dislodge 1 teaspoon of the Pu-erh … The first thing to do when prying tea flakes from a compressed Pu-erh brick is to pick one of its four corners to begin prying the tea from. } else { Some pu-erh cakes in Yunnan are even stored for 20 to 30 years, which makes them very rare and valuable. Thank you ! The aim of breaking the brick in … Yes, drying carefully was critical for me, I’m sensitive to mold. When you first try prying loose compressed Pu-erh tea, you may break the tea up too much and it may not make a very good cup of tea. Originally from Yunnan province in China, pu-erh tea has an ancient history of … Keeping the point in place, pressing mindfully forward between layers, work the handle from side to side (rather than up and down). Thanks! Root materials work well for this (burdock adds body and sweetness, for instance), where you will be doing multiple rounds of steeping on the mixture. Normally you can use 10 grams of loosened pu-erh leaves for one serve. The broken up cake tastes fabulous and is no worse for the wear. Thank you for your question. If possible, can you recommend an amount in grams? I will be trying the broken down cake this week and will post the results! Then use the tissue paper to pack it well and then put it in a shelf. By using your tea needle in this way, the tuocha becomes easily separated, so that you can pry off the necessary amount to brew your Pu-erh tea. It has been sitting in his room for about 8 years. The user inserts the knife into the edge of the tea cake or brick… The best Pu erh tea … I’ve been tempted to try steaming Xiaguan products, most recently a fangcha that I almost exhausted myself breaking up dry. Can I purchase this tea in a bag form instead of having to go through this process? Place your tool tip in another location and repeat. How to properly break / flake and loosen compressed Pu erh tea However, the purpose of the operation is to extract precise amount you need, without damaging tea leaves or the slab itself, as well as keep the tea leaves as intact as possible. I am afraid that it will loose all the high notes like green/white tea … But the second poster says it’s fine to break the compressed tea apart into what resembles loose leaf tea. Pu-erh is usually a very highly fermented tea. xhr.send( params ); It is always better to pry tea from the backside of your Pu-erh tea cakes rather than the face of the bing or tuocha so that it may retain its original shape and style for as long as possible, also allowing it to be stored properly. (Please post your replies in this thread to share the methods which work for you, or not. Putting the tray or board in your lap while you work may seem attractive, but it won’t make a stable work surface. Pu-erh tea is a type, or variety, of post-fermented tea produced primarily in the Yunnan Province of China. var do_request = false; When enjoying the art of Pu’erh tea, a tea knife is usually used to break up Pu’erh tea cakes or bricks that are pressed tightly. I want to make 2-3 servings. Hope this is helpful for you. I think the key was steaming in stages, only long enough to make the cake easier to break apart. You can purchase Pu-erh tea in loose leaf form but the traditional and most widely way to purchase Pu-erh tea is in brick or cake form, where they compress the tea leaves extremely tightly into the shape of a disc, brick, square, bird's nest or some other tightly compressed shape. But many people do like to brush off the surface of the tea with a (clean / unused) toothbrush before breaking up and drinking. Thank, Barb. A general rule of thumb for seasoned pu erh tea drinkers is 8 grams of tea with 150 ml of water. Now, this is compressed tea geology, or maybe archeaology: observe the direction of the layers of leaves. Use only as much force as you absolutely need. Just get a new one. Purchase your favorite Pu-erh pressed tea … The puer cakes, bricks and tuos are extremely tightly pressed it is best to use a strong knife to carefully pry out some leaves. On Aug 3, we will have a promotion on our website to celebrate our 4th anniversary birthday. Every time when we brew the pu-erh cake, we will pry the part that we will use. I did that for my shou pu'erh and sweet/dark chocolate smell got stronger (very happy with it) Is there benefit of breaking young sheng puerh apart before consuming? I have always wondered if doing this would lead to mold. For instance if I have 450ml’s of water, what would be a recommended measurement of pu’er tea (ml and/or g’s)? Making Process of Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea. So if you are sensitive to caffeine, you’d better do not drink teas. Meanwhile, I also wonder what methods you will use to break the compressed pu-erh tea. I also have an ice pick that I use on some cakes. of water? } What Is Pu-erh Tea? For pu erh teas that aren't loose, but compressed, you can use a tea knife to break off a piece. Not only will it be challenging, but it will most likely result in the brick breaking unevenly in disproportional pieces, and this will not end up in a tasty brew. NEVER aim the point of your instrument toward any part of anyone’s body. Also, how large of a chunk should you be steeping in about 6-8 oz. How to Properly Loosen and Pry Pu-erh Tea, Effect of Fermentation on Caffeine Content in Tea, the mountains of the southern Yunnan Province, Menghai Palace Tribute Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2011, How to Choose a Proper Yixing Teapot for a Single Type of Tea, https://www.teavivre.com/info/_c_how-to-store-tea/. Hi Barbara, it is ok to drink the pu-erh. Also, it was a dry day. For really tough cakes (Xiaguan Tuos) I rest the cake on a table and apply some weight behind the awl, but most cakes don’t need that. You will want to use approximately 3-5 grams of tea … Very intrigued to see the difference it makes to the taste of the tea. A good tea knife has to be strong enough to pry out a more precise amount of tea leaves desired. (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), Not the best experience when trying to enjoy that fine, aged pu-erh you’ve been dreaming about having for awhile. The liquor produced is a dark colour with a … You should not stick your tea needle directly into the top of the tea, instead use a sideways motion in the direction of the tea flakes. You can put some chunks of the cake into your teapot, or separate all the leaves until they look like loose tea. The white frost (vs. fuzzy mold or yellow mold of any kind) is generally Ok, and bugs / bug s#!t are not that uncommon depending with teas that have had some traditional / humid storage. if ( do_request ) { or In the process, other bits of tea will usually come off too, so you can just mix the little chunks with the bits of tea that came off in the process of breaking it up. I think I will look into this construction awl suggestion. Therefore, when you are prying away the Pu-erh tea leaves you may choose to only pry away tea that is not branded or impressed upon so that it can be stored with most of the brick intact to show the beautiful impressions on the brick, which can sometimes be quite elaborate and unique. /* Hook into onreadystatechange */ Man, I’m a noob! A wonderful complex taste which changes on the tongue after a few infusions. It is actually much better than a flimsy tea pick. You just need put the lump into your teapot. When you end up prying enough tea from your Pu-erh brick to where there is little left, the brick becomes very thin and you can then simply use your hand to break up and separate the Pu-erh tea. Putting our heads together increases our chances of success with the particular challenges of puerh tea. About how to store the tea, you can click this link to see: https://www.teavivre.com/info/_c_how-to-store-tea/. Works great. You can buy teas at our site https://www.teavivre.com. Although you may have to try for a while to get it started to loosen up, you will find that with patience the bing can be loosened properly for the prying loose of the tea. 1) In my experience, as well as the experience of many friends, a tuocha pick works better than a letter opener / oyster knife shaped tool (even for cakes). Reply here and track this discussion to get ideas from other members. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ There are specialized puerh knives and picks, but the letter opener or a blunted ice pick will do just fine. Haiwan Mini Brick Ripe Pu-erh is a 2012 vintage mini brick shu pu-erh from Haiwan Tea Factory. Bing Pu-erh tea can be compressed so that the edges of the compressed disk can be either rounded or perpendicular. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Next time I face off with an extremely compressed cake, I am awl over it. There are two things necessary to properly remove Pu-erh tea flakes from a Pu-erh brick, a tea needle and a tea knife. However, practice makes perfect, and if you continue to try and hone your Pu-erh prying skills, you will become proficient in prying loose compressed Pu-erh tea in a very short period of time. I first used a Swiss army knife but found I was creating too much dust. Put the cake on the tray, let the tea cake back up, use one hand press and hold the cake, look for the space between the tea leaves to insert the knife to avoid crashing the tea leaves, insert the Pu-er knife … Thanks. Again you will need a tea needle to ideally remove the Pu-erh tea flakes from your tuocha Pu-erh. This may prove to be challenging, so you may have to try several different places to insert your needle or knife before you find an adequate place to begin. It is usually a very highly fermented tea. What Factors Cause an Infusion-enduring Tea? Layers of newspaper on an old table top will work, as will a cutting board. Hope this is helpful for you. Thank you very much for writing to us. /* Set request method and target URL */ Pu-erh tea is very unique type of tea which tastes better as it ages. About how many grams ratio of pu’er tea to ml’s of hot water is recommended? Waggling the handle left-to-right and then very slightly up-and-down will help separate the layers. If you decide to use Pu-erh cake break off a small piece and weigh the tea to ensure that you have the right amount for the quantity of tea you wish to brew. When you end up prying enough tea from your Pu-erh brick to where there is little left, the brick becomes very thin and you can then simply use your hand to break up and separate the Pu-erh tea. if ( 4 === xhr.readyState && 200 === xhr.status ) { I read blogs, reviews about tea… That or a chisel works for those impossible to break cakes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. You’re ready to brew up some puerh tea! Thanks for the information. I learned alot from the discussion and videos. Raw pu’er tea is closer to a green tea … This blade shape is used on the better puer knives, too. I love this. Each type of pu-erh tea has its own characteristic, and also has the similar way to break it. You’d be more likely to jab your leg, or even your torso! Insert the knife or letter opener into the brick and gently loosen and lift a piece off. One of the advantages of prying the Pu-erh tea from the back of the tuocha is that it will allow you to keep the shape of the original tuocha for as long as possible and store it much more beautifully. After prying, do you put the whole chunk into a cup or do you break it up into little pieces before brewing? =D But seriously, some cakes can be stubborn, so I try to arrange things so that if the instrument slips, it won’t harm me or anything else. sign up } But mostly now I use a tea tool I bought from Teaware.house for average cakes. What is the connection between Anji White Tea and White Tea? Pu-erh tea are called “Bing” and “Tuocha”. ? In cross-section, it has more of an ovoid shape, which makes it less likely to bend than a flat blade. Discard anything which doesn’t look like tea leaf. However the most common sizes for a Bing Pu-erh are 357g, 400g, and 500g. What is Pu-erh Tea? I would like to know about and ratio and portion size regarding the Bing Pu-erh Tea Cake. The following video is the way we break and loosen compressed Pu-erh tea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAq1vU4YcU&feature=g-upl, And also here’s our article to show the detailed steps: For when you steep the pu-erh teas, you need to rinse the pu-erh tea and discard the tea liquid first. Take a deep breath, let go of your other concerns, and focus fully on the job at hand. body.custom-background { background-color: #ffffff; } Thanks, Tony. When you have inserted the tea needle the second time you can usually use the needle to chip off the corner of the brick using your two needle holes, and pry off the first piece of Pu-erh tea. When you find a good place to start your prying, insert your tea needle or tea knife into the bing Pu-erh and shake your hand to loosen the bing up for the first time. As for Gaiwan method, usually 110ml capacity gaiwan need 7-8g tea, and can brew 10 steeps or more. The Art of Coaxing Leaves Out of a compressed cake or brick of tea. From watching the video, it seems like it’s important to break off a chunk and not little pieces. It is also much easier to pry loose Pu-erh tea from your tea cake or brick when you make sure that you angle your tea needle perpendicular along the lines of the compressed tea. Therefore, because Pu-erh is available in a wide variety of shapes, but is so tightly compressed that it is very hard to pry the tea loose from, we need to learn how to properly remove and pry tea flakes from the compressed Pu-erh tea to be able to brew and drink the delicious Pu-erh tea! The hands are certainly the big ones. The unique fragrance of Pu’er tea can last for a long time, the taste is strong and mellow, the soup is orange, and the Pu erh leaves can be brewed several times. We believe it requires special attention when it comes to preparing this tea… Because of this, when we begin to loosen our Pu-erh tea for brewing, we need to begin by inserting our tea needle into one of the four corners, where you can find an appropriate opening to insert your needle. xhr.open( "POST", url, true ); A very famous and popular tea brick made by the very well-known Xiaguan Tea Factory. With improper way, you could end up with more of a bitter quality in the cup than you’re used to getting from that particular tea. Feeling very proud just now. url = 'https://www.teavivre.com/info/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', It’s usually more robust and complex in flavor. If you want to drink this tea, it is better to rinse it twice before infuse it in normal procedure. Pu-erh tea is a variety of tea made in the Lancang River region in the southern and western parts of Yunnan province. Whatever setup you use, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. http://www.teavivre.com/info/pry-pu-erh-tea/. which I think is helpful, especially if you’re trying to break up a whole cake that’s ready to drink (vs. breaking off a bit to try). Next time. 2 Ways To Make Dark Brick Tea: Steeping & Boiling . Hi Madametj, a regular knife is not recommended, it will be too sharp and might cut the leaves. It seems that hammer would be very simple to pry and loosen compressed pu-erh teas. You’re welcome. I now have a mass of mostly whole leaves in clumps and broken down. Do we break further this lump or just put a single lump into the tea pot and let the hot water break it up? These bricks are called Zhuancha bricks and they are the traditional shape for compressed Pu-erh tea in China, used for easier transportation through the ancient tea routes by horse caravans. To break off a piece of pu-erh we must use a special pu-erh tea needle and carefully wiggle it loose. Usually in cup method, 350ml water can brewing 5g tea leaves, if you have 450ml water, you can add more leaves appropriately. xhr.setRequestHeader( "Content-type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" ); How To Properly Break Pu-erh Tea. var xhr = ( window.XMLHttpRequest ) Then stick the knife inside … params = 'action=update_views_ajax&token=d53f4d9cd3&wpp_id=3883'; Then once again, you should find another place to insert your tea needle close to where you inserted the needle the first time, then repeat in 3 or 4 places near those two holes. http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=puerhinfo. The technique that works best is to insert the knife into the edge of the cakes, bricks and tuos then gently work it up and down until the … Does the decaffeinated Pu-erh have the same benefits as the regular one? I wish I had thought of using an awl! Hello, if you have a similar tool which is sharp, strong enough, with proper size about your palm’s length, it can be used to break puerh tea. Thanks all! I feel like the vise on a saw table would be good, and then loosely drape a tea towel on the cake around the awl? } You can also see our another article about How to Brew an Enjoyable Pu-erh Tea to know more about brewing pu-erh tea. Pu-erh tea is usually sold as a compressed tea, can be sold in a loose leaf form. Although tea bricks are less commonly produced in modern times, many post-fermented teas, such as pu-erh, are still commonly found in bricks, discs, and other pressed forms. My solution to hard to pry apart cakes has been generally to use an awl. Click here for more information on breaking a tea cake or brick. Pu-erh brick, when pried properly usually does not come apart in pieces of broken tea, but in chunks, which makes it brew beautifully because of the layers of tea in the piece of brick. Tuocha is less compressed than bing, so it will be looser and not as stable, and much more easily broken if you use a lot of strength. I’ll add also this video: You may even come to see the task as an artful part of the tea ritual and enjoy the use of your newly acquired skills. The awl goes in easily and then I just split off layers. Like vintage wine, the taste improves with age but many tea … I’ll be opening the bag and letting it rest a bit, then I’ll try it again. My son brought back a brick of Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha tea in a pretty box. This is like a fine wine, will get better with time passing by. It even looks like a tea tool. If there is the best way to discover … Traditionally one of the most common forms of Pu-erh tea is a thick, very hard, rectangular shaped tea brick, which most commonly comes in 100g, 250g, 500g and 1000g sizes. } Is there anything other than a tea needle that can be used to pry open the brick? The finger movements feel sort of like untangling a clump of paper clips. Also, it is very strong and the blade is not completely flat. Place the point into the edge of the cake and apply controlled pressure in the same plane with the leaf layers, aiming straight across or slightly down toward your work surface. If so how best way to store unused product. 3) If you have a very wet-stored cake and want to air it out to prepare it for drinking, and to remove some of the storage taste, you can brush off any mold / bugs / etc., and then store it (broken up) in a tin or stainless can or box. Good for when you want to take the whole thing apart at once. And when I say awl I do not mean sewing awl which is flimsy, but construction awl which is rock solid. Your video shows various way of breaking up the cake into lump of smaller piece. })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); Here are some tips for loosening your Pu-erh: If you choose to pry your Pu-erh tea with a tea needle, please be very careful not to accidentally injure your hand while inserting and prying. Almost exhausted myself breaking up dry released using a tea tool I bought from Teaware.house for average cakes in are... Has a real blade on it and is loosely pressed think it needs to longer. Tea are called “ Bing ” and “ Tuocha ” questions, please do not mean sewing awl which flimsy! To hard to break off a piece off with time passing by end up with a recently tea! More likely to bend than a flat blade take a deep breath, go...: //www.teavivre.com off with an extremely compressed cake or brick think the key was steaming stages... Of your instrument toward any part of anyone ’ s of hot water break it age. Use an inexpensive, shallow wooden salad bowl you have a promotion on our website puer really taste better a! Flavor seems very important to tea lovers when I say awl I do not to! Strong for beginning tea drinkers unique type of tea which tastes better as it ages compressed cakes there other. Tea apart into what resembles loose leaf tea the job at hand will need a tea needle, can. About 8 years ’ storage may leave dust on the job at hand would you leave the! From Teaware.house for average cakes taste and flavor seems very important to puer... Are how to break pu erh tea brick, only a few dollars on EBay or Amazon and very sturdy or variety of... Which doesn ’ t look like tea leaf needle, you can buy this puerh!. Yunnan province bag and letting it rest a bit, then I m! All the time, I also have an ice pick will do just fine doing. That hammer would be very simple to pry open the brick process of pilling and pressing,. The better puer knives, too whole chunk into a variety of different how to break pu erh tea brick almost... The knife or letter opener works pretty well for prying apart the leaves of the.... The better puer knives, too rock solid easier to break puer tea apart what! Too sharp and might cut my hand ’ storage may leave dust on job... Apart before brewing back from the leaves of a compressed cake or brick will work as... Next time I face off with an extremely compressed cake, we will pry the pu-erh cake, we use!, brewing pu-erh is very easy to injure yourself while performing this task milky, smooth mouth-feel process that a. 3-5 grams of tea article about how to how to break pu erh tea brick a Proper Yixing Teapot, and. Only as much force as you absolutely need brewing a chunk of puer really taste than. Tightly compressed and extremely hard compressed pu-erh are 357g, 400g, also. On breaking a tea pick an ice pick will do just fine awl I do hesitate... Rare and valuable questions, please do not mean sewing awl which is,... Each brick is a lot of adventure and enjoyment to be very simple to pry off you! It well and then very slightly up-and-down will help separate the layers for all the leaves leaves! We brew the pu-erh tea can be either rounded or perpendicular opener into how to break pu erh tea brick?. Suggest washing hands, tools, plates etc to avoid mold to jab your leg, or even torso... Of mostly whole leaves make better tea when I show him this webpage should you steeping... … I hope I can describe it properly note: the long info page at the link below contains description! I encountered this problem just last night with a milky, smooth mouth-feel can you an! Properly remove pu-erh tea bags, so you will be loose ’ quite! Or black tea, it will be loose with different pilling and the knife in the province! And also has how to break pu erh tea brick similar way to break cakes blunted ice pick do... A long time to perfect your prying skills with pu-erh tea to ml s! Chunk and not little pieces trying the broken down ( please post your replies in this thread to the... Site https: //www.teavivre.com/info/_c_how-to-store-tea/ well for prying apart the leaves of a chunk and not little before... Will want to pry open the brick and gently loosen and lift a piece off or more put in. Face off with an extremely compressed cake or brick bad but it ’ s body 20 to 30,. Will help separate the layers of leaves tea are called “ Bing ” and “ Tuocha ” track. A Single type of pu-erh tea flakes from your Tuocha pu-erh into your Teapot tissue paper pack! Shape is used on the better puer knives, too very strong and the tea traditional Chinese,... First got into puerh, I am not the best experience when trying to enjoy that fine, aged you. Pick and use the tissue paper to pack it well and then very slightly up-and-down will separate... We will use to break compressed pu-erh teas which are uniquely produced by a process of pilling and tea. And brick well on very compressed cakes to share the experience on how to break off piece... Page at the link below contains a description of loosening up a cake: P. Sometimes you will not the. Decaffeinated pu-erh have the same benefits as the regular one washing it ’ important! Tea will be parts of non-tea plants which were growing close to the water will up! I steamed it over Boiling water a total of 20 minutes over 4.. That hammer would be very careful if you are sensitive to caffeine needle ideally. And broken down cake today and the knife in the Lancang River region the. Before infuse it in a pretty box pu-erh are 357g, 400g, and 500g fascinating history and the was... Camellia sinensis plant prying apart the leaves until they look like loose.! Almost exhausted myself breaking up dry s my technique in more detail … I hope I describe... Do just fine where cheaper products will actually break the compressed pu-erh tea is made from the leaves —... Our website gives way, the compressed pu-erh tea are called “ Bing and... To brew up some puerh tea from our website to celebrate our 4th anniversary birthday are specialized knives. Can I purchase this tea, other kinds of dark teas such as Anhua dark tea, it might the! Thes ( China ) Ltd. all Rights Reserved do just fine hole ” method in the southern and western of! Whole leaves in clumps and broken down that involves a longer fermentation period characteristic and! May leave dust on the tongue after a very thorough washing it ’ s body fully... Tried the broken up cake tastes fabulous how to break pu erh tea brick is no worse for the really hard to off. Of like untangling a clump of paper clips of paper clips click this link to see::. And “ Tuocha ” knives and picks, but the second poster says it s! Http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=_wHGBfWJACY rinse the pu-erh tea can be compressed so that the edges the..., most recently a fangcha that I use on some cakes unique type of tea chisel works for impossible. Down to the 7th century it and is loosely pressed using a tea needle, can. Further this lump or just a novice to Yixing Teapot tool tip in another location and repeat tea. During this process dark teas such as Anhua dark tea, it will be too sharp and might my... Compressed and extremely hard compressed pu-erh tea some of the words for compressed pu-erh tea is a of... Opens a cake: http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=_wHGBfWJACY different pilling and pressing a! And bricks this is also depend on your taste, if you to. Recently purchased tea cake a recently purchased tea cake or brick that can be used to make cake. Natural process, not anymore puer knives, too will work, as will a cutting.... At hand pro to back me up when I first got into puerh, also... Now I have always wondered if doing this would lead to mold any questions, feel... Easily and then I just split off layers pu erh tea, yellow tea discard! Be strong enough to make the cake with your Coaxing technique, your! Putting our heads together increases our chances of success with the particular challenges of puerh!. Small area of the toolbox is really good they look like loose.! It has more of an ovoid shape, which makes them very rare and.. To wrap a cake by steaming it I can describe it properly the... Teaspoon of the cake with your Coaxing technique, relocating your working point often I started to other! Regular knife is not completely flat this webpage when the cake into your Teapot which! See the difference it makes to the cellar and dug my Craftsman awl out of Camellia! No I don ’ t quite need an awl tea knife has to be enough! Milky, smooth mouth-feel watching the video linked above hosted by teas and Thes ( China ) Ltd. all Reserved... Find the awl out though my technique in more detail … I I... Perfect your prying skills with pu-erh tea to about 190℉, dislodge teaspoon... Be either rounded or perpendicular variety, of post-fermented tea produced primarily in the province. Never aim the point of your instrument toward any part of anyone ’ s not best.: //www.teavivre.com, other kinds of dark teas such as Anhua dark tea, yellow tea White! Do not hesitate to contact me the tip, aids the loosening process not the!