First of all. I need some moral support. I’ve only been drinking my loose pu’erhs because I can’t bring myself to break apart my new pu’erh cakes!!!! They’re just so pretty and perfect, all wrapped up with so much potential!!!
This video is making me super sad LOL
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=th86Ge4fFJs
So this tea…
Method: 1tbsp, 8 oz, 30 sec (1 minute) (1 minute), 208 degrees, brew in mug strainer
Dry Leaf Aroma: Earthy, but with a chocolate note that’s very enticing
Flavor: it tastes a little musty, but smooth, and I’m enjoying the chocolate notes. I guess that earthy sort of note is just the usual for many pu’erhs?
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Maybe take off the papers very carefully and keep them! Or frame them! :)
LOL Cam! Maybe I need a pu’erh wrapper scrapbook!
Do most people break them up all at once like the video, I wonder? I got the impression that little bits were just broken off here and there.
Some pu’erh is “earthy” – like a forest in the rain, fresh clean mud (if such a thing exists)
some is earthy – but more in a cave subterranean sort of way
some is earthy – but musty, barn yard esque
I love all of it – as long as it’s clean fresh dirt. The bad pu’erh is swampy, dirty, icky
I don’t break up a whole cake – I just unwrap them, break a chunk off and rewrap them. You’ll be ready soon, the OMG I have to try that will kick in, and you’ll be diving in…
The third steep at about 1.25 minutes was nicer. Thus definitely was NOT swampy or icky, so maybe it’s just a matter of being an acquired taste.
LOL. If I still can’t bust one open tomorrow, I may have to employ you as the Pu’erh Cake Breaker Enforcer. :p
Anytime – just send me your cake, I’ll break it up and send it back to you – well send most of it back to you, might take a little as payment…. :))
Just break off the amount from each cake or brick and keep the rest intact if you don’t plan to drink it quickly. makes storage easy. When I break a cake I start from the circle indentation on the back and work from there. Gives you a good starting point.
Hahahahahaaaa!!! OMG you are super funny!
I think I’ll just bite the bullet and break up my own cake, but I’m more than willing to share if you see anything that interests you. :)
Sorry, mrmopar, not sure what you mean when you say that you start from the indentation. Do you mean that you break tea off from the “rim” of the indentation?
Me too – I break from the indent. Turn the cake over, so that the smooth side is down, indent is up. I press gently down, circling the around the cake (especially if it hard compressed)listening for cracking sounds. I find it easier to loosen it up a bit first. Then I insert pick into the edge of the indent (pick facing outward towards the edge of the cake). I really need to just find the video that I used the first time. Your video was ok, but that was a pretty loosely pressed cake, they all don’t break that easily….
This is the video from Teavivre… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAq1vU4YcU She says to break from the back to keep it looking good…
This one has the first step I was talking about – to loosen it a bit before you start stabbing it. I only do this is it’s really compressed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdhfKEE9D9Y
You just need to find a technique that works for you,,,
I’m with MrM & Dex, prying off tea from the center of the back of the cake, so I can keep the shape for as long as possible.
Awesome video and suggestions! I’ll try the indentation method tomorrow. Thanks, tea friends!!!
Yep that’s the way. It also helps make them easier to re-wrap.
If it really a difficult cake, start the car, place cake behind back tire and put it in reverse. ;)
So happy you’ve started enjoying your pupu haul :-)
And break them cakes please!!!
Cwyn, that is too funny!!! I can just picture my neighbors and the police officer who lives behind me looking out their windows and being like WTF is Sarsy doing this time!!! I live in the city, so were closely packed here. :)
TTF: today is the day!!!!
Maybe take off the papers very carefully and keep them! Or frame them! :)
LOL Cam! Maybe I need a pu’erh wrapper scrapbook!
Do most people break them up all at once like the video, I wonder? I got the impression that little bits were just broken off here and there.
Some pu’erh is “earthy” – like a forest in the rain, fresh clean mud (if such a thing exists)
some is earthy – but more in a cave subterranean sort of way
some is earthy – but musty, barn yard esque
I love all of it – as long as it’s clean fresh dirt. The bad pu’erh is swampy, dirty, icky
I don’t break up a whole cake – I just unwrap them, break a chunk off and rewrap them. You’ll be ready soon, the OMG I have to try that will kick in, and you’ll be diving in…
The third steep at about 1.25 minutes was nicer. Thus definitely was NOT swampy or icky, so maybe it’s just a matter of being an acquired taste.
LOL. If I still can’t bust one open tomorrow, I may have to employ you as the Pu’erh Cake Breaker Enforcer. :p
Anytime – just send me your cake, I’ll break it up and send it back to you – well send most of it back to you, might take a little as payment…. :))
Just break off the amount from each cake or brick and keep the rest intact if you don’t plan to drink it quickly. makes storage easy. When I break a cake I start from the circle indentation on the back and work from there. Gives you a good starting point.
Hahahahahaaaa!!! OMG you are super funny!
I think I’ll just bite the bullet and break up my own cake, but I’m more than willing to share if you see anything that interests you. :)
Sorry, mrmopar, not sure what you mean when you say that you start from the indentation. Do you mean that you break tea off from the “rim” of the indentation?
Me too – I break from the indent. Turn the cake over, so that the smooth side is down, indent is up. I press gently down, circling the around the cake (especially if it hard compressed)listening for cracking sounds. I find it easier to loosen it up a bit first. Then I insert pick into the edge of the indent (pick facing outward towards the edge of the cake). I really need to just find the video that I used the first time. Your video was ok, but that was a pretty loosely pressed cake, they all don’t break that easily….
This is the video from Teavivre… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAq1vU4YcU She says to break from the back to keep it looking good…
This one has the first step I was talking about – to loosen it a bit before you start stabbing it. I only do this is it’s really compressed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdhfKEE9D9Y
You just need to find a technique that works for you,,,
I’m with MrM & Dex, prying off tea from the center of the back of the cake, so I can keep the shape for as long as possible.
Awesome video and suggestions! I’ll try the indentation method tomorrow. Thanks, tea friends!!!
Yep that’s the way. It also helps make them easier to re-wrap.
If it really a difficult cake, start the car, place cake behind back tire and put it in reverse. ;)
So happy you’ve started enjoying your pupu haul :-)
And break them cakes please!!!
Cwyn, that is too funny!!! I can just picture my neighbors and the police officer who lives behind me looking out their windows and being like WTF is Sarsy doing this time!!! I live in the city, so were closely packed here. :)
TTF: today is the day!!!!