Help

[tomd]

Hey everyone, I recently got quite a bit of pu erh but unfortunately I cant get breaking it up right. When I break it up I try and break into large chunks but I still get quite a bit of broken leaves and a cloudy brew, especially on the really hard touchas. Any help would be appriciated. Thanks!

Tom

[Victoria]

Here is a video that will help, I'm sure the Pu erh fans will chime in soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th86Ge4fFJs

[hop_goblin]

http://ancientteahorseroad.blogspot.com ... to-do.html

[Salsero]

Some cakes are harder than others, and tuochas are usually the worst. I have taken a hammer and chisel to a tuocha on more than one occasion, though I'm sure that there must be a better way.

As for the clarity of the liquor, if the leaves of the cake are very broken (often the case) or if you break them a lot while separating them, you can get a cloudy brew. I always use a special little filter designed for puerh tea.

Three Youtube videos about breaking up tea cakes and tuochas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=V2WFx-oG1-M
http://youtube.com/watch?v=th86Ge4fFJs&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MTsBHJM9mo0&feature=related

For the brave at heart, the rather scary method of steaming the tuocha briefly, separating, then drying the leaves.

http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... =puerhinfo (toward bottom of page - where you see woks)

And finally, sophisticated pu drinkers debating the steam alternative:

http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/200801.html

[tenuki]

You rinse yer pu before you drink it, right?

[tomd]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone!

hop_goblin- Thanks that offered more insight than just the usual "insert knife break off chunk" response

Yes I rinse my pu, but it still comes out cloudy on some of the ones that I have to really struggle with to break up

Edit: Broke up a tou with the steam method it worked great. Clear and great tasting tea

[MarshalN]

Cloudiness can be caused by a lot of things, including how you our your water (and what's in your water). Generally speaking, if your breaking of the tea involves a lot of mess... it's more likely to come out a bit cloudier.