For many new Tea enthusiasts, the production process of Pu'er tea is both familiar and unfamiliar; they know the general steps but are unaware of the specific details. This article will reveal the detailed process of pressing Pu'er tea cakes for you.
Why is Pu'er tea pressed into cakes?
1. Pressing tea into cakes makes it convenient for storage and doesn't take up much space. It's also easy to carry one or two cakes when visiting friends and family.
2. Over time, the original aroma of loose Pu'er tea can dissipate, while Cake tea retains its aroma for a very long time, becoming more fragrant as it ages.
3. In terms of aging and transformation, loose tea has a larger surface area exposed to air, making it easier to transform initially. However, over time, cake tea transforms more stably and maintains a richer, sweeter flavor.
The process of pressing tea can be done manually or by machine. Manual pressing typically refers to using a stone mill, which is a traditional method.
Why do we use manual pressing?
Manually pressing tea with a stone mill results in better aroma and character, which is more conducive to aging. Let's explore what happens from loose tea to tea cake during the manual pressing process:
1. Weigh the tea: Put the loose tea into an iron bucket.
2. Steam the tea: Steam for about half a minute until the tea softens.
3. Bag the tea: Pour the steamed tea from the iron bucket into a cloth bag. Choose a suitable bag according to your needs. For example, if you want to press 357g cakes, use a 357g bag. You can also choose smaller or larger cakes.
4. Shape the tea: Form the tea into a round shape.
5. Set the shape: Place the shaped cakes under the stone mill to fix their shape. After pressing with the iron, leave them for about 3-5 minutes before removing the cakes (there are usually over ten stone mills, so we typically wait until all the cakes in a batch are set before replacing them with newly shaped ones).
6. Cool down: Once the cakes have cooled, remove the cloth bags. A 200g or 357g cake is now ready.
7. Dry: Drying generally takes 2-3 days.
8. Wrap: Use conventional white cotton paper for wrapping.
9. Bundle: Package seven cakes together. The process is now complete.
How long does it take to press a cake of tea?
From start to finish, it generally takes around three days at the fastest. The most time-consuming step is drying the cakes, which must be completed before wrapping.
Some tea enthusiasts have noted that freshly pressed tea has a subdued aroma compared to the loose tea. What causes this?
During the steaming process (step 2), dry tea absorbs moisture and undergoes a small transformation due to the heat, causing the aroma to diminish. The tea becomes milder than the loose tea. When the cakes are dried in step 7, the moisture evaporates, and the aroma gradually returns. However, after being compressed, the leaves release more of their essence, resulting in a stronger flavor and character compared to loose tea.
When is the best time to taste freshly pressed tea?
We recommend waiting three months to taste newly pressed raw tea, as the aroma and character will have developed by then.
For newly pressed ripe tea, we suggest waiting two to three years to allow the Fermentation flavors to dissipate before drinking.