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Extra Large Black Tea Brick
FORMED TEA – 1000gr
GRADE(S): Compressed OP (Orange Pekoe)
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL/CAFFEINE LEVEL: Low / Medium
REGION: Hubei Province, China
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Full bodied with slight must notes. Generally not used as a beverage.
Ingredients: Black tea. 1989
£ 80.00
In stock
PRODUCT ID: 582
Description
Extra Large Black Tea Brick
Tea bricks are among the most visually striking forms of processed tea in the world. Their origins trace back to the ancient spice trading routes of the Far East around the 9th century. Traders and caravan herders, transporting goods by camel or horseback, needed to optimize space. To facilitate this, tea producers began compacting processed tea leaves with stalks and dust, pressing them tightly into molds and drying them in the sun. This method became so popular that by the 19th and early 20th centuries, pieces broken from these bricks even served as currency in Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, and Northern China.
Brewing Tradition
Traditionally, brewing tea from a brick involved roasting a piece over an open flame until it turned reddish. The brick was then crumbled and brewed in a pot. In some regions of China, people added spices like onion, ginger, and orange to enhance the flavor. In Tibet, tea bricks were integral to making the famous fermented yak butter tea. If you don’t have fermented yak butter on hand, don’t worry! We recommend using regular milk instead. Today, many appreciate tea bricks not only for their flavor but also for their aesthetic appeal. They make unique gifts and excellent conversation starters when displayed in an upright plate holder.
The Origins of Black Pu-erh
As for black Pu-erh, its development can be traced to the Kunming Tea Factory in 1972. At that time, the Chinese government aimed to expand its economic base and tasked the factory with creating a new, marketable tea. Drawing from centuries of expertise, the tea masters at Kunming created black Pu-erh, which has since become the world’s top-selling variety.
Unique Characteristics
What sets black Pu-erh apart from other black teas? The answer lies in its unique fermentation and aging process. Unlike regular black teas, black Pu-erh undergoes fermentation, where the tea is processed and stored for a specific period without being fully dried. This can involve burying the tea underground, storing it in caves, or keeping it under damp, heavy tarps. Over time, this fermentation imparts the earthy character that Pu-erh teas are famous for.
Enjoy the rich history and unique flavours of our Extra Large Black Tea Brick, and discover why this tea has captivated hearts and palates for centuries!
Besides pu erh tea, other kinds of dark teas such a Black Tea Briks, are less known outside of China. We believe it requires special attention when it comes to preparing this tea, due its special production method and tight compression. In this guide, we’ll introduce you two ways to steep dark brick teas.
Boiling Dark Brick Tea:
Dark teas, such as Black tea Briks, are often compressed more tightly than other dark teas like pu-erh. By boiling such tea, they loosen up faster. Don’t worry about any bitter taste. This kind of tea has undergone pile fermentation resulting in a very smooth and non-bitter tea, even if it’s boiled. Here are the steps:
- Put brick tea pieces and water in cookware (e.g. pan or iron tea kettle) at a ratio of 1:40.
- Bring the water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, you can turn off the heat.
- Strain out the leaves and serve the tea. If you pursue a stronger and more full-bodied taste, leave it for a few minutes after the heat is turned off.
Steeping Dark Brick Tea:
- Put brick tea pieces and hot water (at 100ºC) into a teapot or a gaiwan at a ratio of 1:20.
- Wait for 1.5 minutes to rinse and awaken the tea chunks (for loose leaf dark tea, 30 seconds will be enough). Discard this brew into a pitcher.
- Add hot water again and cover the teapot with a lid. Now pour the content of the pitcher over the teapot to improve heat retention (obviously, you can’t do this when using a gaiwan).
- Steep for 2 minutes and then it’s ready to enjoy. You may adjust the steeping time based on your personal preferences. The fun part of dark brick teas is that shorter steeping times will result in citrus and lemongrass notes, while longer steeping times will make the tea taste more nutty, woody with hints of ripe fruit.
For the 2nd and 3rd brew, still apply a 2 minute steeping time. You’ll find that these two brews are darker compared to the first brew (as the tea has fully loosened up). After the third brew, you can gradually increase the steeping time, to fully extract the rest of the flavour out of the leaves.
We strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today’s water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.
