The best compressed shape for aging puerh.

[kyarazen]

I've always wondered about this idea... in some cases, like those "iron bings," they seem pretty dern solid. But at the same time, do we really know what the permeability of that tea is to air? Oxygen can pass through barriers that seem impermeable...

poor permeability if the leaves have not been kneaded much!
i've had described it before in one of my random writings on the non-permeability of the leaf to many things due to the cuticle layer. air entry in an unbroken leaf with intact cuticle is still through the stomatas. similarly this leaf is impermeable to water.

in the kneading of the leaves, some of these cuticle layers are broken allowing for easier water and air entry. (this means that the workmanship of the manufacturer is important). the steaming phase is important too, if oversteamed the leafs become cooked.. but if understeamed the leaves dont pick up enough moisture, which will affect the compression quality (such pressed cakes are more permeable).

i had a couple of 8663 iron cakes from xiaguan that many people had said to be "fake" because the exterior is turning reddish whilst the core is green.. until two sources with good supply of this cake, told me that the overcompression lead to this. this suggest poor permeation of oxygen into the core for a span of over 20 years.(apparently this tea was rejected by japanese orders due to its heavy compression in '86-87? and the stock was pushed to hongkong where it received no interest, cakes were just sub dollar prices then). recent tastings at the 29 year mark is quite promising, and makes me glad that i was objective enough not to have had discarded/disposed these "fake" teas. it probably has about another 10 years to go to become really nice.. which means 40 years in total.. way too long!

[Tead Off]

Technically speaking, I don't know which form is best for aging. However, the best quality puerh teas come in cake form, in general. Tuos and bricks are usually not the best leaves and an inordinate amount of them are smoky. Xiaguan is one of the worst offenders in this area. Never had smokier teas than their tuos. Personally, I have given up on tuos and bricks. Far too many are of inferior quality.

I'm with Mr Mopar I have a fondness for some Xiaguan now and again. There is a savory quality that reminds me of scotch. Would I drink it every day, probably not. But now and again they hit the spot.

As far as compressed shape being an indicator of quality I have some very high quality puerh compressed in both tuo and brick form, so I don't think I can agree with you there. Let's take generalizations out of the equation altogether. Given the same high quality base material, compressed with the same compression, which shape would be the best shape?

In the last 15 years, I don't think I've ever come across what I would call a 'high quality' tuo or brick. It could be that my tastes are not the same as another drinkers. Also, I have not tasted every tuo or brick made since 2000, so there may be exceptions. But, on the whole, I see the better sellers favoring cakes, both in quality and higher prices. Private label commissions seem to favor cakes.

It is also a more recent trend to favor single farm/village productions rather than blends from the bigger and more famous factories like Dayi. It's kind of rare to see a Guafengzhai tuo or brick, or a Bingdao in that form. I can't recall ever seeing one.

From what I've read, tuo and bricks were the favored shape for transporting tea long distances. Highly compressed teas were less likely to fall apart. Fedex and DHL were not delivering to Lhasa in those days.

I think it is possible to generalize the trends in the last 15 years.

[Drax]

poor permeability if the leaves have not been kneaded much!
i've had described it before in one of my random writings on the non-permeability of the leaf to many things due to the cuticle layer. air entry in an unbroken leaf with intact cuticle is still through the stomatas. similarly this leaf is impermeable to water.

in the kneading of the leaves, some of these cuticle layers are broken allowing for easier water and air entry. (this means that the workmanship of the manufacturer is important). the steaming phase is important too, if oversteamed the leafs become cooked.. but if understeamed the leaves dont pick up enough moisture, which will affect the compression quality (such pressed cakes are more permeable).

I think there's an important point here, which is -- if the leaves weren't prepared properly in the first place, the later steps such as compression shape and even storage conditions may not matter (it may be "too late"). Or at least, that's what I'm gathering, if I understood correctly.

And if that's true, that makes me think of the pu'erh boom in the mid-2000s, when you had a rush of tea onto the market that may not have been properly processed. We have tended to focus more on leave source and quality, but it seems a gentle reminder that all the steps are important.