Are CAKE pressed Teas REALLY better for ageing?

The given knowledge is that cake-pressed teas have superior ageing potential compared with loose but we hate to accept 'given' knowledge without testing ourselves. What's the sensorial difference between a tea aged as a cake vs loose?
Try our PuErh Teas: meileaf.com/te...
FEATURED TEAWARE
Gong Fu Satellite Tea Tray: meileaf.com/p/...
#PinnacleTea Gaiwan: meileaf.com/p/...
Longevity Peach - Jingdezhen Handpainted Cup: meileaf.com/p/...
Gong Fu Stems (bamboo tools): meileaf.com/p/...
‘Bird Court’ Chabu (table runner): meileaf.com/p/...
Cha Ze Weighing Scoop: meileaf.com/p/...
Gaiwan Styles Towel: meileaf.com/p/...
Elephant Teapet: meileaf.com/p/...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shop online: meileaf.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join us on Instagram
/ mei_leaf
Tweet along with us
/ mei_leaf_tea
Write some friendly graffiti on our Facebook wall
/ meileaf

[@ongoingmartin]

Celine is objectively correct, Tub Highness is one of the bestestest and anyone who argues is wrong. That's how tea works. 😜😁🍃💚🍃🍵🍵

[@chrisladouceur4093]

Haha Martin. Love it

[@willsmith3299]

You're thinking of Jordan Almonds. This is an interesting topic, and hopefully you'll try it again with a Shou instead of a Sheng. I think loose aging is better for Shou, Cake for Sheng. My reasoning is, I have a 1997 loose Shou that really developed a lot of vanilla notes and is deceptively sweet on the back end, with a nice body and silky texture. Compared to cake Shou, I rate this tea in a higher category. I'd like to know what you think about this.

[@OldTeaHead]

Arghhh, so unfair. You're showing off a full cake of Tub Highness. 😭

[@milkteaalliance1748]

Hello Don I am curious is it acceptable occasionally drop a raisin in your tea cup? I just tried it with a ripe puerh and was delicious and added and extra note and eating it at the end I had sliced the raisin like cutting its belly open to release flavour. It didn't change the tea much which is good I won't get addicted as I want the pure tea taste also. And don't want sugar on my teeth unless I have toothbrush access.

[@JohnSmith-j2j]

Anything you do with your tea is your business and if you like it go for it! 😊

[@desertfox432]

Oud Bar London. I recommend the Sampler education/experience before splurging. Oud is not just a "dark wood leathery petrol" note, it is a resin produced by the tree to heal itself and its notes can be as varied as tea is. This is the same way you might say "tea note" but tea can range from white to sencha to dancing to sheng to shu and black. You will have fun, the distillers there are great folks and are also on Instagram. Consider yourself spoiled because I nudged you to some of the best distillers around. Only fair since you spoil us too.

[@mattporter6624]

So is it preferred to keep the cakes in the airtight packages that you ship them in, compared to taking them out, when storing them in a wooden dresser?

[@j.m1807]

Correct

[@rainbowdeathblow]

Ha! Still have some Tub Highness left 😁

[@cctvmanbob]

I have stopped drinking young raw Pu erh, I find it a little harsh and drying . I DO like aged raw pu erh !

[@killers31337]

Hi, I wonder if you ever considered making Dian Hong cakes?

[@chi_bot8648]

Question: Will I brew a better tea If I remove the sticks from tea before brewing? I heard someone once said sticks make less quality tea and give a more blend taste?

[@aeonwindsoeur]

There ist Japanese stem tea, Kukicha, where the stems are on purpose blended with the tea. The amount of stems is carefully chosen by the tea masters. The stems add some sweetness to the tea. The higher the amount of stems in the tea the lower the caffeine content depending on the ratio .. If your tea tastes well, there is no need to remove the stems. It will not harm you. Enjoy! ❤

[@mattlm64]

Didn't you say before that cakes should be broken up a few days/weeks before drinking? I guess only break up enough for the next week or so?

[@lynndarnton7998]

Having watched that earlier video about breaking up whole cakes, I leave my cakes whole but ensure I take leaf from both the outside and inside.

[@josephkilgariff1161]

Tea guru sells oud. A collaboration there might be good.

[@lynndarnton7998]

Tea Guru also sells Oud leaves, which I use for tea, either alone or with some of my Mei Leaf teas. His leaves are a better deal than a lot of other Oud leaf suppliers out there.

[@buffalOMsoldier]

this is great BUT how were they stored? which material jar? which environment?

[@colinmalsingh2667]

Interesting to be able to watch this whilst having the luxury of being able to sip Tub Highness along with Don :) BUT - Don has made *so* many similar videos about how to store tea, whether or not to break up cakes or leave them intact. Having watched one of these, I have got into the habit of breaking up 15-20g at a time and storing it in a sealed glass jar. This certainly makes getting a brew going quicker than having to visit the cake each time. And in my case, the tea only goes a month or do before being used (compared to the 2 years in this video). Also unclear whether the machoa he has here is before any pressing - in which case its had a very different journey. But do a search - this topic has been covered so many times and jot always with consistent conclusions e.g. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZjPnIuigZulqdE

[@bobbyport]

Oud bar London/ Ensar Oud may be an interesting collaboration. I’ve just watched a video of him adding oud to tea! Video title “meeting with Ensar Oud” on FragranceView channel. About 24mins in.

[@lynndarnton7998]

I hope that at least some of the following is helpful: Oud oils are very potent medicinal substances and should be used with great caution. Ensar Oud uses Ambergris and Musk, both of which require extreme animal cruelty to produce, although Ambergris can, very rarely, be found in small quantities, naturally vomitted by animals and washed up on beaches. I remember finding a lump on the beach after a storm when I was about 5. My Dad made throw it away because it stank like poo. As a zoologist he knew what it was but didn't know it was worth more than its weight in gold, otherwise he would have sealed it in an airtight bag and put it in his bank deposit box! The fragrant components of both, Oud oils and animal sex gland extracts, are highly penetrating and persistent. I'm not suggesting that Mei Leaf would indulge in using animal sex gland extracts in your teas, but I'm not certain that Ensar Oud, or anyone, can guarantee absolute non-cross-contamination of the oud oils by the animal sex gland extract aromas. Any teas that contain oud oils, and any animal sex gland cross contamination, could, especially during long ageing, cross contaminate other teas in the warehouse and shop. Personally, I would regret grievously that, if Mei Leaf were to even simply go into production collaboration with any company that uses animal sex gland extracts, I would stop buying from Mei Leaf. I say grievously because I know that it would not be possible to obtain teas as good as Mei Leaf's; I buy them not only for flavour but also because I have found some of their teas help me to manage some long term chronic medical issues. Mei Leaf would also have to consider that all vegan, and many vegetarian, customers worldwide would stop buying Mei Leaf teas if they knew of collaboration with a company that supports such massive animal cruelty. It is very clear from the video referenced above that Ensar Oud is a true Oud Master, and I respect deeply his awesome perfumery knowledge (over 50 years ago I owned a business selling essential oils for aromatherapy, and manufacturing incense using tree resins, essential oils and other plant substances): Don and Celine could learn a vast amount about Oud from Ensar Oud. But including the medicinally extremely potent Oud oils in Mei Leaf products could pose medical risks for Mei Leaf customers - even just smelling some Oud oils and resins can have potent body effects; that's why they have been so revered and valued for perfumery for at least many centuries if not millenia. Rather than blending Mei Leaf teas with Oud oils, it might be wiser to consider blending the teas with Oud leaves; they also can be very potent with regards to body effects; for example, when I use Oud leaves, either alone, or with certain Chinese teas, I use only about three leaves depending on leaf size. So that would be a blend of about 3 Oud leaves to 5g - 7.5g of tea. I also manually sort the leaves into three bags depending on how much Oud resin there is in the leaves - so I have what I call strong medium and average which I can select from for a brew, depending on the desired effect. Also, there are certain teas I would not mix with Oud, if the tea's body effects contraindicate the use of Oud. Sourcing Oud leaves could be more challenging than sourcing Oud oils because there are less artisanal leaf suppliers than artisanal Oud oil suppliers; the leaves are popular in some south-east Asian countries, but mainly supplied as tea bags. I would suggest that any proposition to use Oud in tea should be approached with caution; to sell such products to the public for internal use would require in-depth medical knowledge, but then Mei Leaf is very well positioned to evaluate the medicinal effects of Oud, and its profound effects on the flow of Qi through the subtle energy channels and therefore its potential profound effects on state of mind. Oud wood and resin are important and powerful ingredients. It is known as Agar Wood in a Tibetan incense known as Tara Incense which is used to modify Qi flow through subtle energy channels to relieve a variety of psychological and emotional conditions. Oud is also used in Ayurvedic Medicine and, known as Eagle Wood, in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I'm not familiar with the use of Oud in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here's the "Meeting with Ensar Oud" video, which is very interesting and highly informative: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pau5mnmam9h0rrs I hope there is something useful or interesting in the above.

[@aeonwindsoeur]

What about bing jars for ageing.... Glazed or unglazed, depending on if you have tea that needs air or should be stored airtight? Does that eliminate storage smells? Please, does anyone know? Much love

[@jose_nv_valencia6176]

Impressive how you teach!!. Thanks Don 😀🤗🍀🍀🍀

[@mescellaneous]

that cha ze scale is marvelous. i remember first starting out and wondering why people dont weigh their brews like coffee. that cha ze just takes it to another level, just for the ability to weigh tea or even coffee without using a container. so neat and simple, ill buy if it comes back in stock..

[@charlesperez9976]

I missed out on the Atlas cake😔! No worries,I do enjoy your tea,and I just tried,from a tong,your Shou Mei Sweet Dreams. Delicious,and look for to a few more years on it!

[@ongoingmartin]

Agreed, Simple Dreams is one of the best white teas I've had in ages. Incredible flavour!

[@HUNZY-qo3cv]

Dang… I gotta up my game. You people have tea aging rooms? I never heard of such things. I got tea in a ziplock bag. lol

[@willpopemusic]

Omg Tub Highness..... 🤤 ......... What an amazing tea.

[@charlesperez9976]

Jordan Almonds!!😂😊

[@erikslimarik1526]

I wonder if the same stands for white tea as well.

[@JohnSmith-j2j]

What his video about "legacy teas"

[@zockettewy3647]

It is just tangential to this video, but what do you do with the finest bits and dust left after breaking a cake -or even just leftover dust from handling any type of tea? Recently found out there's this earlier brewing style called 'Dian Cha', which was the go-to during the Song Dinasty. Said method involves taking the finest possible dust (apparently from dark teas, but any tea really, maybe?) and whisking it with several increments of hot water, 'till it develops white foam -like with matcha, which is derived from this practice. I wonder if this would be a good way to use leftover dust, which to stingy me seems to go to waste within the first few infusions.

[@aeonwindsoeur]

Some people take the unbroken leafes and on purpose crush some extra to add to the teapot when brewing. This way the crushed ones give more flavour on the earlier infusions while the others take more time to wake up. Give it a try and see if this is for you.

[@zockettewy3647]

@@aeonwindsoeur Sounds a bit like Chaozhou style. Thanks! I'll give it a try.

[@aeonwindsoeur]

I might be wrong, but I always thought that they skip the Sharing Cup and instead of quickly alternating between the Drinking Cups while pouring to give every guest the same taste of the tea. And chazou would offer the tea according to the guests preferences, when you pour out the tea, the lighter brew from the beginning goes into the first cup while the leafes still give more flavour to the remaining water in the pot and then you pour out the slightly stronger brew and serve your guests. But I'm sure you'll find your personal preference and enjoy your tea YOUR style. All the best!

[@cFlat7]

It would be great if this had been a blind test.

[@DemonTom]

Quick Question for you Don, as this has been a subject of great debate, and I'd like to know your thoughts. Many Puer heads I've talked to have said that it's "Impossible" to age a cake properly like you would in a Chinese Warehouse packed with cakes. They've said there no benefit to attempting to age them, but to merely preserve them for a couple of years. This of course won't stop me from trying, but I'd really like to get your take on this.

[@Acc_Hugh]

mini real life example over here. I live in Asia, some of my friends and i are pu'er drinkers. I keep my stash in stack of 10 cakes, 20 cakes in a cardbox. My friend keeps them single cakes isolated in Mylar bags some in a cardbox, some just laying around the shelf. Over 13 yrs of our pu'er journey, we have come to agree larger quantity kept together has better fragrance and transform better. Explanation from most pu'er producers is that the microbials from batch quantity of cakes benefits pu'er transformation. This is why over a long period of time the top and bottom cakes of a stack will always taste less desirable than the ones cooped up inside. Despite being wrapped by bamboo layer, plus a thick outer layer of brown paper, in a huge cardbox, bungled up into huge rattan containers.

[@jazzfan102]

What does the message on the website mean? "Disruption in International Orders".... does that mean they've stopped, or just delayed.

[@MeiLeaf]

If you click the banner then you ca read the full information. We are restricted to using courier services for international packages because our other postal partner is having technical issues after being targeted by hackers.

[@graphicwave6649]

Rising Phoenix from USA is for sure one of the best in the "oud" field. In Europe/UK there are a couple worth mentioning like "habzoud", "oudbase" and "al hashimi". Then in Asia there are "dr.incense" (some really amazing oud incense sticks) and "kangiiten". Obviously there are many more but I wanted to list the ones I have personally tried. Awesome video as always!

[@JohnSmith-j2j]

What is oud

[@woody3307]

LOL..time to load up on the cakes! That is Jordan Almonds...often found in bowls at the counter when paying up at the Lebanese restaurant! Yum!

[@andreidumitrufocsanu2962]

I still have a ~20 grams Tub Highness from the cake. Do you have any idea of what tea garden(s) compose the material of that cake?

[@mst2203]

The cloudiness is very apparent. Interesting. I wonder what causes that. Just more leaf dust in the outside? Hmm

[@beth.7]

Interesting findings, especially since I have a couple of older mao cha in my tea cupboard - in their bags - but without boveda packs. 🤔A couple of questions arose: 1) In another video you checked whether breaking up an older/aged raw sheng for further storage makes the tea tastes better and found that it does indeed. Since this is the opposite of your findings here: how come? Leaves already in fermenting process, imbued with ferment already, and therefore continuing to change? -- 2) In the White Tea Aging Study you equipped one of the samples with boveda packs and kept it airtight; that one yielded the best result concerning acceleration of aging. Did you do the same with this mao cha? And if not, why? -- 3) This is just a general storage question: Would you keep cakes from different regions with different taste profiles together in an airtight container with the larger boveda packs? Right now I'm storing my cakes in their bags, each with an 8g 62% pack, but some dry out a lot quicker than others, so packs have to be changed/rotated a lot.

[@colinmalsingh2667]

agreed Beth Todays video contradicts the earlier one you mention???

[@Acc_Hugh]

1. breaking up a well aged cake in your home climate helps to release fragrance, preparing them for immediate consumption in the near future, does not make them transform better. 3. direct from a GuShu factory producer: different yrs, different regions, as long as they are sun dried produced, they can be stacked together for exceptional aging. Microbials from aged pu'er bounce off each other, even helping newer teas in their aging process. Risks are not to introduce mouldy cakes or ripe pu'er in the pile.

[@beth.7]

@@Acc_HughThank you, for both your answers. I obviously remembered the video about breaking cakes wrongly. Good reason for watching it again. 😀 There’s no fear of mouldy or mildewed cakes in my place; it goes super dry in winter. Even some of the Boveda packs dry out in a matter of days. I’ll get me some larger containers, now that I know I can store them together. 👍

[@beth.7]

@@colinmalsingh2667@acchugh5008 explained this: I remembered the previous video wrongly. The aim was for keeping the taste fresh, but for immediate consumption and not for further aging. And the cakes could already be considered aged. But I obviously need to watch that video again. 😉

[@Acc_Hugh]

Always wondered how tricky it is to age pu'er in a very dry climate. What's your area RH? Does constant use of Bov packs make the process pricey?

[@Salaaran]

omg, I am also super interested in getting into oud, sadly it is just so darn exxy :/ But they are just super interesting woods/oils :D

[@mattlm64]

I remember getting sugar coated almonds at a wedding. Not sure why that's a thing.

[@Patrick-ux8ud]

What is ood?

[@kawanyx8254]

Homie turned intro William Shatner there at the end.

[@beth.7]

And one more question: you once mentioned the possibilities of making home made sheng balls from mao cha -- I think it was in the Young Gushu 2022 video. Would that be a possibility for keeping mao cha longer/for aging? Would you be interested in showing how to do that, in a forthcoming video?

[@extraslava1]

I was thinking the same. Would be a nice video

[@Fra881]

inside the cupboard, was the maocha stored in a sealed bag, in a closed jar or just at open air like in a cup?

[@riverpinewood6560]

You may store in a paper bag and make sure there is a smell-free place.

[@daniel.lopresti]

Coated almonds = confetti in Italian. In Italian weddings they're given as a gift to guests. Pretty sure confetti is something else in English. Being quadrilingual is so confusing ;)

[@MrAqr2598]

Confetti, in English, are those small, thin, colorful pieces of paper, plastic, etc. that are thrown in celebratory situations. They were originally grains and sweets like the Italian confetti, but switched to paper, plastic, etc. as time went by.

[@daniel.lopresti]

@@MrAqr2598 oh yeah right, thanks!

[@Dduck108]

WOW. You still have the Tub Highness. Any chance you have some for sale. I only have 10grams left

[@charlesperez9976]

I will,in a few hours,try a 1999 Sheng ,Gushu,Puerh iron cake. So exited!!

[@riverpinewood6560]

Must be very expensive now.

[@charlesperez9976]

It’s remarkable!