Upon opening the packaging, the tea brick is tightly bound with a regular brick shape. The strands are oily and slightly dark green, with distinctive protrusions on the front surface from the mold, positioned irregularly.
Upon prying it open, you can see "04 Tulin Fenghuang Tea Brick" inscribed inside, and the trademark is visible. The tea brick is uniform inside and out, and the cut surface reveals clear bud hairs, indicating high tenderness and distinct bud leaves.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2004 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 200g tuo · TuLinFengHuang
The Tea Brick has been stored in Kunming till the March of 2024 year and since its inception, with excellent warehousing conditions.
It features high-grade materials, abundant tea aroma, deep throat rhyme, strong returning sweetness, quick attenuation of astringency, lasting mouthwatering sensation, and a long-lasting fragrance.
Due to its slow transformation in dry storage and tight compression, it is recommended to pry open and let it air for six to seven days before brewing for an improved overall taste.
Using 7 grams of tea in a 150ml purple clay pot, steep in boiling water for 20 seconds. The soup emits a strong honey fragrance upon brewing, with a lingering aroma in the cup. Beyond the third infusion, the tea soup becomes thicker, sweet and bitter, quickly transitioning to a sweet aftertaste, with almost negligible astringency. The taste is balanced and full-bodied, remaining consistent even after thirteen infusions, with a gradual decrease in soup thickness. However, the subsequent infusions yield a refreshing sweetness, with the lingering throat rhyme and mouthwatering sensation persisting.
The leaves are intact with distinct buds and leaves visible after steeping, showcasing good flexibility.
Best for: improving your tea experience — worth reaching for once you have moved past being a newcomer.
Brewing Guide
Water: 100°C (212°F), fully boiling.
- Preheat the vessel; add around 5g per 100ml.
- One rinse to open the leaves, then a covered rest of about 10 minutes.
- Steep 10–15 seconds at first, adding ~5 seconds per round.
- Always pour out completely into a fairness cup before drinking.
- Keep steeping — sheng rewards patience with many rounds.
These are guidelines to start from, not rules to obey. Experiment with your pour, your pace, and the season; the same leaf tastes different on a rainy day. The goal is the skill to brew it well whenever, wherever.
Storage
Give it air, coolness and dryness; keep it out of the sun and clear of potent odors (spices, smoke). For multi-year aging, paper or unglazed clay lets the tea breathe in a way sealed plastic never will. Kept in dry storage, which preserves a cleaner, brighter character. Stored in Kunming.
A Note on Appearance
Not every tuo shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
