tuo cha vs cake ageing

[stockman]

There's any difference in how tuo cha and cakes age? Cakes age better than tuo cha?

[miig]

I'd say it is a question of compression: The more compressed a tea, the more slowly it will age. This can be good if you want your teas to conserve some youth, and bad if you want to have the teas as mellow and aged as possible.

Often, Tuos will be more compressed than cakes, but not always. Also, as far as I understood it, tea producers tend to use the better leaves for cakes. Of course this can't be generalized.

In most cases, there is no better or worse, its a matter of preference and the tea in question.

[mr mopu]

I'd say it is a question of compression: The more compressed a tea, the more slowly it will age. This can be good if you want your teas to conserve some youth, and bad if you want to have the teas as mellow and aged as possible.

Often, Tuos will be more compressed than cakes, but not always. Also, as far as I understood it, tea producers tend to use the better leaves for cakes. Of course this can't be generalized.

In most cases, there is no better or worse, its a matter of preference and the tea in question.

Agreed on the leaf quality statement above. And indeed compression is the major factor in aging. A Dayi will generally age quicker than an XiaGuan due to this. The 'Iron' cakes take a much longer time than most others.

[Puerlife]

I have a pet theory. I think the Xiaguan tuos that come packaged in a nice round box are excellent aging candidates, as long as you have the time, because both the compression and the box itself can protect the tea. That's why so many of the 15 to 20-year-old Xiaguan tuos are sought after now despite being pretty bad when new. Again, thinking out loud.

[stockman]

I see...

So then it's all about the compression of the cake/tuo and the leaves grade?

And, for the long run, which it's better, a high pressed cake/tuo or a not so pressed one?

About the leaves quality in tuos, I have always heard that many companies use lower grades, but in Xiaguan's case I have always heard that they use high grade leaves as well. What's true in this?

[miig]

And, for the long run, which it's better, a high pressed cake/tuo or a not so pressed one?

I tried to say this already, be careful with things like "this is better than that". Teas which are compressed to a higher degree will age more slowly, but also more uniformly than loosely compressed or even loose-leaf tea.

If you have a tea which is really old, and / or stored in hot/humind enviroment which boosts ageing, you may want a tea which is not to loose so that its essence doesn't evaporate.
If you have tea which is not so old and / or aged in more moderate climate, a compression which is too tight may have as a result that the tea doesn't age very much at all.

But first I'm not an expert, second this is just a rule of thumb.. it depends on personal taste, water quality, the details of the storage, your personal preferences , of course, the leaves in question, and any number of other factors. There isn't a thing like: Tuos are bad, cakes are good. Mostly there isn't..