Compressed tea: pressing technology, types of tea, quality and brewing features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Tea, shaped and pressed into briquettes and other forms, is ideal for thrifty hosts. It can be stored for a long time, moreover, it is slowly consumed and has an affordable price. Pressed tea and its brewing are described in the article.

What is this?

Compressed tea was first made in the 8th century. This was done for the convenience of its transportation and increase the shelf life. Still such products were loved by the emperor. Pressed tea is divided into black, green, red, white. Its shape can vary from ordinary briquettes to nests, discs, balls.

Leaves of various varieties and regions of cultivation are subjected to pressing. The advantage of the product is that over time, its taste and aroma improve, since fermentation takes place for a long time after molding. Tea is usually made from broken leaf, crumbs, twigs, late harvest leaves. Raw materials are used to create black, green tea, but the technology is different.

Types of Forms

Pressed tea in shape is as followsspecies:

1. Bing Cha. It is a common form. If translated from Chinese, it means a pancake of tea. Pancakes can vary in size. Small - 50-250 g, classic - 357-600 g. Large can be within 1-5 kg. Pu-erh tea is usually produced in the form of pancakes, but this form is also used for other varieties.
2. To Cha. The shape is like a bowl or nest. Usually used for red tea or pu-erh. The classic version weighs 250 g. There are nests of 25 and 100 g, which are called Xiao To Cha. Small bowls are handy for the road.
3. Fan Cha. Like a brick. Hieroglyphs with wishes in poetic form are usually printed on the surface. Products differ in weight, ranging from 50 g to 5 kg.
4. Jin Cha. It has the shape of a mushroom, produced in 250 g. This type is loved in Shanghai. Originally created for export to Tibet.
5. Jin Gua. Tea is pressed in the form of a gourd. In China, pumpkin is recognized as a symbol of protection from evil spirits. The best raw materials are used in the manufacture. Perform in the form of a pumpkin only pu-erh. Tea is from 100 g to 3 kg. It is believed that tea in the shape of a pumpkin, which is a symbol of happiness, can be a great gift.
6. Xiao Tuo. Presented as a small nest. Weight is no more than 15 g. This form is in demand, although low-quality tea is used in the manufacture. It is ideal for batch brewing. There are products in the form of lumps, cubes, tablets.
7. Lao Cha. This is green pressed slab tea. It can also be in the form of bricks and pancakes. As raw materials, shoots with leaves are used, which are harvestedautumn. Recycled in a special way.

Benefit

Pu-erh is one of the common types of tea. It is famous for the following useful properties:

• The drink improves the activity of brain cells, normalizes attention, with it information is remembered faster and easier.
• Tea can reduce appetite, speed up metabolism, break down fat, which has a positive effect on weight loss.
• Allows the liver to deal with toxins, reduce the risk of plaque formation.
• The work of the heart and blood vessels improves, pressure decreases.
• The digestive process is normalized, the feeling of heaviness in the stomach is relieved, as well as excessive acidity.
• Present essential oils reduce the number of bacteria in the body, improve the activity of the adrenal glands. And all this reduces inflammation.
• Reduces blood sugar levels, so the drink is indispensable for diabetes.

The drink is in demand because of its properties compared to other types of tea. The main thing is to brew it correctly, as well as follow the rules of use.

Who better not drink tea

Tea can be harmful to anyone if it is improperly stored, steamed or consumed in unlimited quantities. It is better not to use it in such cases:

• during pregnancy;
• high temperature;
• kidney stones;
• vision problem;
• caffeine intolerance;
• insomnia;
• taking medications.

Not recommended for small children. From the drink, “tea intoxication”, similar to alcohol, is likely. This may be when using a large amount of tea leaves. Do not drink medicines. It is advisable to have a tea party after a hearty meal.

Production

How is tea pressed? Products are delivered to the workshop in large bags. Raw materials need to be sorted and sorted. The selected tea is sent for processing. Perform its steaming and weighing. Then it is poured onto a cloth and kneaded with hands, twisted to give a certain shape.

Previously, the sheet was processed completely by hand, pressing was done with large stones. Now a special press is used to flatten the leaves. Pressed products are taken out of the fabric, moved to wooden shelves. It is checked by a quality control master, and then pancakes, tablets or nests are packaged in paper with the date of manufacture and the name of the factory.

Benefits

Compared to other types of tea, pressed tea has the following advantages:

1. Ease of storage and transportation. Products after pressing are easier to transport even over long distances. It takes up less space compared to the loose type. After buying tea, do not pour it into a separate jar for storage. It remarkably retains its properties in food paper packaging. You can always take small forms with you.
2. Long shelf life. Products are stored much longer, compared with loose. This is due to the fact that it has a smaller area of contact with air. The loss of taste, aroma and benefits is several times reduced. Tea will be protected from external influences.
3. Short brewing period. While the tea is being pressed, the leaves are heat treated with steam. They open for brewing noticeably faster than loose tea.
4. Save brewing. Exposure to steam can affect extraction. It is carried out faster. To prepare a rich and high-quality infusion, you need a small piece of pressed tea.
5. Products from the press can be a great gift. Tea is conveniently stored, has he alth value, and is perfectly brewed. You can buy a product tile with a dedication in the form of hieroglyphs.

Pressed Chinese tea is loved by many people around the world. One has only to try this drink, and it will be difficult to refuse it.

Subtleties of brewing

How to brew pressed tea? 4-6 g of tea is added to 100 ml of water. Portion nests or tablets are selected. You should break off a small piece from a tile or pancake, crumble it. Some do the rubbing.

Tea is poured with cold boiled water. Rinse it is necessary, it will eliminate dust. You can use hot water, which is immediately drained. The second filling is also drained. And the third will givenecessary infusion that can be consumed. Water must be taken at a high temperature - at least 90 degrees.

Tea can be brewed up to 10 times. The infusion procedure with each subsequent time increases by 10-15 seconds. If you like a strong infusion, then brewing should be done for several minutes. But the number of tea leaves in this case will be less.

Final information

These are all recommendations on how to properly brew pressed tea. You have to drink it slowly. After each sip, you should stop to feel the taste and aroma. Such a drink is valued for its aftertaste, which may differ depending on the type of tea.