{"id":1051,"date":"2024-01-30T19:17:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T19:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teeregen.de\/?p=1051"},"modified":"2024-01-30T19:21:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T19:21:42","slug":"pressed-tea-shapes-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teeregen.de\/en\/pressed-tea-shapes-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Shapes of Pressed Tea"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tea comes in all shapes and sizes.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Tea is not only available as loose leaves, but can be pressed for storage or transport. Often, this is done for Pu Er teas, but other types of teas can also be pressed into basically any shape. Here are some of the most popular shapes:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u6cb1\u8336 <\/strong>tu\u00f3 ch\u00e1<\/em><\/strong> - bird's nest -<\/strong> this shape was invented in 1902 by tea factory Xiaguan and looks like a bird's nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u997c\u8336 b\u01d0ng ch\u00e1<\/em> - cake -<\/strong> the most popular shape, a flat disc with rounded edges. The indentation in the middle of a cake is due to the pressing cloth being tied in that area while the cake is pressed. Tea cakes are often stacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u7816\u8336 <\/strong>zhu\u0101n ch\u00e1<\/em><\/strong> - brick -<\/strong> brick tea is the most efficient shape for stacking larger quantities of tea, for example as carawan tea. A special form of brick tea is \u65b9\u8336 f\u0101ng ch\u00e1<\/em> (\"square tea\"), a very dense tea, often with commemorative scripture or lucky symbol pressed into the tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u7d27\u8336<\/strong> j\u01d0n ch\u00e1<\/em><\/strong> - mushroom -<\/strong> \u7d27 j\u01d0n<\/em> means 'tight' or 'tightly pressed'. Sometimes, this tea is also called \u8611\u83c7\u7d27\u8336 m\u00f3 g\u016b j\u01d0n ch\u00e1<\/em> ('tight mushroom shape'). This shape is associated with teas sold to Tibet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u9f99\u73e0 <\/strong>l\u014dng zh\u016b<\/em><\/strong> - dragon pearl -<\/strong> these small spheres are gaining popularity fast. They are quite practical: one ball is one serving of tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u67f1\u8336 zh\u00f9 ch\u00e1<\/em> - pillar -<\/strong> this tea comes in a cylindrical shape wrapped in bamboo strips or pressed into bamboo. To take out the tea leaves, one sometimes has to use drastic measures like a saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u91d1\u74dc j\u012bn gu\u0101<\/em> - golden pumpkin -<\/strong> the golden pumpkin or golden melon is a round shape segmented by strings. This form was developed in the Qing-Dynasty as a tribute tea from Xishuangbanna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u8336\u5316\u77f3 ch\u00e1 hu\u00e0 sh\u00ed<\/em> - fossil -<\/strong> a less known tea made from a byproduct of Pu Erh production. There are many terms used interchangeably. The base product is called \u8001\u8336\u5934 l\u0103o ch\u00e1 t\u00f3u<\/em> or \u7599\u7629\u8336 g\u0113 da ch\u00e1 <\/em>('nugget tea') and is removed during the standard pu er tea production. They are offered separately or refined to \u8336\u5316\u77f3 ch\u00e1 hu\u00e0 sh\u00ed<\/em> ('tea fossil') or \u788e\u94f6\u5b50 su\u00ec y\u00edn zi <\/em>('brocken silver'). The surface of the tea is dark and oily, almost metallic. The little nuggets can make a lot of infusions of tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get some 'Shapes of Pressed Tea' postcards here!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n