Ripe pu-erh from 2003. I bought these guys in China in 2008. As they are among my earliest pu-erh purchases, they're not great; but they are not bad either and can be nice as a casual brew. Each club member can claim up to two.
These don't, but should come with instructions that goes something like this:
For best results:
1. Jam a butter knife or something to split it, and then try to break it apart as best as you can with brute force (avoid sharp implements). Leave it in a bowl somewhere not too wet or hot, for about 2 weeks. Then brew.
2. When brewing, brew normally but throw away the first two brews (at least). These will contains the off flavours. The tea is pretty potent and should yield a few more brews still.
The lazier way:
1. Put the whole brick in your brewing vessel. Brew it for relatively long periods.
2. Make two or three brews, and start drinking it when the cube breaks apart on its own. Maybe help it along with a spoon or something.
These little 'techniques' are one of the fun parts of pu-erh. Pu-erh is potent tea, don't brew for too long, and adjust each brew based on whether the last one was too weak or strong. The tea should stand up to enough brews for you to adjust.
Those are adorable.
ReplyDeleteI would love one.
One gone, five left.
ReplyDeleteThese don't, but should come with instructions that goes something like this:
For best results:
1. Jam a butter knife or something to split it, and then try to break it apart as best as you can with brute force (avoid sharp implements). Leave it in a bowl somewhere not too wet or hot, for about 2 weeks. Then brew.
2. When brewing, brew normally but throw away the first two brews (at least). These will contains the off flavours. The tea is pretty potent and should yield a few more brews still.
The lazier way:
1. Put the whole brick in your brewing vessel. Brew it for relatively long periods.
2. Make two or three brews, and start drinking it when the cube breaks apart on its own. Maybe help it along with a spoon or something.
These little 'techniques' are one of the fun parts of pu-erh. Pu-erh is potent tea, don't brew for too long, and adjust each brew based on whether the last one was too weak or strong. The tea should stand up to enough brews for you to adjust.