Pu'er Tea is a common variety we encounter, known for its unique quality of improving with age. However, Pu'er tea cakes, once pressed, tend to be quite compact, making it difficult to retrieve the tea. Many people end up breaking the tea into small pieces when trying to remove some. Today, we'll introduce a few tips that will help you smartly retrieve your Pu'er tea.
How to Properly Pry Open a Pu'er Tea Cake?
We notice that most Pu'er teas are pressed into cake shapes, commonly in the form of seven-cake rounds weighing 357 grams each. Nowadays, there are also cakes available in 200 grams and 100 grams. When you purchase a tea cake, do you know how to pry it open? This has led to various unconventional methods of retrieving tea, such as some enthusiasts using brute force with their hands or even kitchen knives. Are these among the methods you typically use?
How to Retrieve Tea from a Pu'er Tea Cake
Some less tightly Compressed tea cakes can be opened by hand. Gently rub the edge of the cake, and the scattered leaves will be enough for one serving while maintaining the shape of the cake; for cakes with surface sprinkling, simply break off a piece by hand to get a well-mixed selection of leaves.
For more tightly compressed Pu'er teas, using a tea knife might be the most convenient method. The trick with a tea knife lies in the word “pry.” Simply inserting it into the tea isn't enough; you must also apply force to pry, which helps the tea release more easily.
First, prepare the tools needed to open the tea cake—a tea knife or a tea needle. We will demonstrate using a tea needle.
1. Insert the tea needle at an angle into the concave area on the back of the tea cake; apply a little force and push the needle further into the cake. This prevents the tea cake from becoming too fragmented.
2. Apply upward force to pry off a portion of the tea cake; then continue prying along the gaps between the leaves, layer by layer.
3. Slowly pry open the tea cake.
Precautions During the Process of Retrieving Tea from a Pu'er Tea Cake
1. Place the tea cake flat to prevent it from sliding sideways when prying.
2. When prying, hold the tea cake down with one hand to keep it stable, and use the other hand to pry.
3. Tea knives and needles are sharp tools. Always handle them carefully and store them properly.
Pu'er tea is a complex variety, not only in taste but also in its preparation. The key to successfully retrieving tea from a Pu'er tea cake lies in practice.