What to do with them to make my pu-erh tea?
There are two ways to loosen a compressed Pu-erh (cake, brick, mushroom, or toucha): 1. Brutal-force way! Use hammer, knife, chisel or whatever your landscaping tools (kidding, of coz) to chip or knock down enough amount for brewing. 2. Steaming method: This is a much more civilized version. Several advantages from this method: a. The loosened leaves will retain more complete and original shape than the brutal force way. b. If you are like me, it is fun to get your hands “tea-y”! c. It becomes more convenient to have all the loose tea than having to find your hammer everytime you try ot enjoy. We use the following pictures to illustrate how we do the steaming to loosen two 2004 Jia Ji XiaGuan Toucha. Step 1: Find a wok and a bamboo steamer (or whatever have similar functions). Put a bowl of water into the wok. Then put the two toucha onto the steamer. Step 2: Turn on the heat and cover the steamer. Your pu-erh is now enjoying some steamy Sauna! Steam for around 3 mins. The time is only
