When & Why to Break Up a Puerh Tea Cake

[@dcollins91989]

This is very interesting. This all tracks exactly with common practice with high quality pipe tobacco. Compressed tobacco such as flakes and cakes age much better and more uniformly than ribbon cut (basically loose leaf cut into ribbons). And if you open up a tin that's been aging for a long time, you must give it time to "wake up" for about a month, exactly as you described for aged puerh. Otherwise the flavors are very dull right out of the tin. Very interesting! I'm just starting my tea journey but feel like I will have a good foundation of similar concepts to start out with. ~"Smile to the cloud in your tea."~

[@stinky_lizard]

My first clay teapot, a kettle and stove, a variety of oolongs all on the way from global tea hut and I somehow manage to forget to pick out a cake of pu. How could I forget!

[@sluggo562]

And here I've been drinking pu all year and haven't broken past department store oolongs. Would you care to recommend a favourite?

[@marcustulliuscicero2676]

@@sluggo562 ooh, I hope you discovered the whole new world of oolongs for yourself by now! But in case you haven't, look into high mountain Taiwanese oolongs on one hand (Alishan, Lishan, ShanLiXin, Dayuling, etc.), and then try some roasted Wuyi rock oolongs, and some Dan Cong oolongs. Do get them from well-curated stores. Oolong is the most varied type of tea, ranging widely in oxidation, roasting levels, processing methods, terroir, and flavor profiles.

[@knyghtryder3599]

I would never break bits off a cake unless a quick sample Breaking a whole cake and letting that rest as maocha is the only way to go , cake storage for long term , maocha storage for drinking

[@globalteahut]

good advice. Technically, a broken cake is not "maocha," which is "unfinished/rough tea." Once it is pressed and reaches our home, it is not "maocha" per se. But that is just nitpicking terms for pedantic edification. In general, we fully agree!

[@knyghtryder3599]

@@globalteahut true , but I see more overlap between true maocha and broken cakes , they age and drink more similarly, both I would say age/drink better for immediate consumption Loose tea ages faster , but doesn't get as rich, it's like looking at a tea through warp speed , but I guess this is only true if your home is super humid 🥵

[@knyghtryder3599]

@@globalteahut great video , very thought provoking!!

[@knyghtryder3599]

Yes always buy more than a tong , go for 10 cakes, drink one young , save the other two and break up as maocha , but keep the tong in tact for long term aging, best advice!!!

[@grelligsherein3200]

Thank you very much, that lesson was really insightful :)

[@carynoel]

Great informative video. Thank you Wu De.

[@MikeBaas]

Phoenix Dragon 4 part test!

[@matthijsvanwijhe864]

Would you recommend the same for shu pu erh?

[@lindabell6293]

Thank you very much for Pu'erh support. My 2021 cake has a 2025 expiration date. What have they done to it?

[@globalteahut]

not sure. Puerh tea cannot expire

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

Interesting. Here's a thought, I have a an anniversary bingcha that I sample once a year. Clearly I do not want to break it up completely, so how do I store it so that it will age well and still sample well each year? Store with oxygen scrubbers and desiccant in a sealed container? Pull a piece and store in a gar, one month before drinking it? Thoughts? Opinions, Advice? a 375g cha bing, drunk at 5g per year, will give 75 sessions. That'd need some epic storage and handling conditions.

[@globalteahut]

If you have just the one cake, you may just want to wrap it up good and leave it whole, breaking off your session each year. 5 grams seems small, but maybe you use a small pot :) You could also experiment and break off two sessions next time your anniversary comes up, drink the one and leave the other in a jar and wait a year to try the jar one :)

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

@@globalteahut 5gin 150ml is my usual dose for pu'er. then 30-90 sec. infusions. Please redirect me if, I'm doing it wrong. I'm am still learning.

[@globalteahut]

@@TheHeraldOfChange There is no wrong way, especially if you are enjoying it! Depends on the size of your pot and how strong you like your tea. If that is working for you and tastes nice, it is fine indeed. Also, using less tea is great as it will last longer!

[@globalteahut]

PS we are still learning, too :)

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

@@globalteahut Thank you for the response. Much appreciated. You can perhaps find me onLinkedIn via #TodaysTea. Happy to connect.

[@emmalouie1663]

grabs my ziplock plastic baggie to store my tea in...starts eyeing pillow cases.... :P

[@gregfellman8622]

Are these suggestions equally true for Dian Hong cakes or are there different guidelines? Thank you!

[@globalteahut]

Yes, mostly the same.

[@shannonmatheson1587]

is this applicable for a shou puerh cake as well ? I only heard sheng puerh mentioned

[@globalteahut]

Yes, this method can be used for any compressed tea-cakes, bricks or any other shape and any genre of tea including shou puerh.

[@davidw.pursley6474]

I never imagined that I’d find this so interesting. You’ve suggested Zen books, how about tea books?

[@onuq3r4y478]

puer tea: ancient caravans and urban chic is quite good

[@davidw.pursley6474]

lglowen Thanks. I ordered it and Tea-Horse road too.

[@tobiasmuller6232]

Jo, Wu... Tobias

[@SolenaOestriea]

Where can i buy the clay purple sand clay to make the tea pot and tea jar?

[@globalteahut]

We have a couple pots on our site! No jars, though; they are hard to ship without breaking.

[@beefuji9755]

How do you know how old your tea is. Where is a good place to purchase on OC Calif

[@globalteahut]

You can use the wrapper and neifei if it is a cake. If it is loose leaf, there is no way other than to drink lots of such teas as well as cakes with accurate vintages and then map the loose leaf tea in question experientially....

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

How big should a jar be for a broken up 357g or 400g cake?

[@globalteahut]

maybe 15-20cm tall, roughly. Most mid-sized tea jars will be enough.

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

@@globalteahut Thank you very much for the quick response. 🙏

[@wawithegreat1764]

Hi... Is breaking up the whole cake applicable to ripe puerh cake? sorry I"m new to teas thank you

[@globalteahut]

The older the cake the more applicable it is!