Pu-erh Knives

I want to find a source for more, so thanks for starting this thread. The one I have is basically a small flat-head screwdriver with a decorative handle.

I prefer it over a “needle” type I had when I first started (how can I delicately pry with a sharp, pokey end?), and definitely prefer it over what I have to use when I realize I’ve forgotten the pu’er knife at a friend’s house: a butter knife, a fork, and even.. a corn cob holder.

Doable in a pinch, but kind of ridiculous.

Most of them I see for sale seem more like unsold letter openers or low end QVC knives that have been “re-puposed” by the sellers as Pu-erh knives. They are usually too sharp. My favorite of the ones I have is a small, simple metal blade that folds into a metal sheath like an old fashioned straight razor. The blade and sheath are both shaped like a giant tea leaf. To open the knife, there is piece of metal which looks like the stem of the leaf which you can pivot with your finger to swing the blade out of the sheath. One side of the blade comes to a point to push into the cake or brick and the rest of it is like a flat, not too sharp, rounded edge that can be used to pry the cake apart once punctured. It’s simple and functional but a bit too small in my hand.

I still use a cheese knife for mine… ha ha

Someday I will need to upgrade to something better

I use a flat bamboo knife for mine, but I like needles too!!

Yes, I can see how, in the right hands, a needle could be very effective. Easily threading between the compressed leaves without tearing or breaking them. Then wedging a chunk off the cake.

Unfortunately mine don’t seem to be “the right hands”. In mine a needle and a bingcha give even worse connotations to the phrase “monkey picked” (as in, monkey picked-apart).