Video: unwrapping and breaking down the cake
DaYi's 2016 "0532" comes as a 357g cake of ripe (shou) puerh.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2016 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 357g cake · grade 3 leaf · Menghai Tea Factory · 1st batch
- Compression & dry leaf: It is pressed into a 357g cake. Look for grade 3 leaf, visible buds and large, robust leaves in the dry leaf.
- Liquor: The infusion pours bright and reddish brown or bright red, with a thick look.
- Taste: The first infusions are soft. As it opens up, the taste turns sweet.
- Mouthfeel & body: Expect a thick, full-bodied, smooth mouthfeel.
- Aftertaste: Swallow and you notice a returning sweetness (hui gan).
- Best for: everyday drinking at home or at work; first-time puerh drinkers will find it approachable.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Steps:
- Add tea (about 5g per 100ml).
- Rinse twice: cover the leaves with boiling water for about 5 seconds, then discard. Put the lid on and let the leaves rest for about 10 minutes to open up.
- Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
- Pour into a sharing pitcher.
- Serve. Ripe puerh resteeps well for many rounds.
- Treat these as starting points rather than fixed rules. Try high or low pours, fast or slow, and brew in different seasons to find the method that suits you. Brewing the same tea well in any year, season, weather or place takes practice, and that skill is the real goal.
Storage
Keep the cake ventilated, cool and dry, away from sunlight and strong odors (kitchen spices, smoke). For long-term aging, paper or clay containers breathe better than sealed plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Small dark specks: tiny dark specks may appear on the wrapper or cake edges of naturally stored puerh. They are harmless and can be brushed off before brewing.
- 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.
