Video: unwrapping and breaking down the cake
Here is "Chuan Qi" (Legend of TAE) from DaYi, a 2015 sheng (raw) puerh in a 357g cake.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2015 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 357g cake · 7-year-aged leaf · Menghai Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: This tea is sold as a 357g cake. Breaking it open reveals well-formed threads.
- Liquor: The liquor is typically golden to amber at this stage.
- Taste: Once the leaf opens up, expect aged notes in a smooth cup.
- Mouthfeel & body: The body comes across as smooth and oily.
- Aftertaste: Swallow and you notice a long finish.
- Best for: improving your tea experience; it rewards slower brewing and is a good next step after your first few sheng teas.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Steps:
- Add tea (about 5g per 100ml).
- Rinse once: 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. Sheng 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.
- 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.
