is this normal?

[Smells_Familiar]

It's safe to say that I'm a newby when it comes to puerh. I've only got a handful of bricks and cakes but so far they have all come sealed in their own ways. I just recieved a few pieces and I've got some ?'s about them. This is a Mengku cake.


It came unsealed like this. Is this normal for mengku cakes? Also, I received a few 100 gram bricks that actually weigh more like 85 grams or a bit less with the wrappers. Is this normal? I normally don't weigh my tea when I get it. I just happened to slap one on the scale because it looked so small, and yes, my scales are accurate. I know humidity can affect the weight of the tea, but this seems very light.

[Wesli]

Simple tissue wrapping is the norm.

[Bert]

The unsealed wrapper is the most common way. Sealed wrapping shall be less likely faked, but who knows.

The 100 g bricks that weight actually 85 g are not ok in my opinion. Untill +/- 5 g is acceptable but 15 g is too much. If you got 5 bricks it means a loss of 75 g!
You should contact the vendor about that.

[Trioxin]

I have a few of the newer Mengku cakes, and aside from the Mu Ye Chuns, they've all been sealed with a sticker. Which cake in particular are you asking about.

[heavydoom]

It's safe to say that I'm a newby when it comes to puerh. I've only got a handful of bricks and cakes but so far they have all come sealed in their own ways. I just recieved a few pieces and I've got some ?'s about them. This is a Mengku cake.


It came unsealed like this. Is this normal for mengku cakes? Also, I received a few 100 gram bricks that actually weigh more like 85 grams or a bit less with the wrappers. Is this normal? I normally don't weigh my tea when I get it. I just happened to slap one on the scale because it looked so small, and yes, my scales are accurate. I know humidity can affect the weight of the tea, but this seems very light.

smelly,

is it this one?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/2006-Mengku-Lao-Ban- ... m153.l1262

since the photos did not show a wrapper, maybe it was just wrapped with that plain white paper. what about the paper stuck inside the cake?

[tony shlongini]

Somehow I doubt that a newbie would pick up a LBZ without knowing in advance exactly what it was.

I'd be leery about any unmarked tea unless it came from the most reputable of sources.

Your cake should have come with two pieces of paper inside the wrapper. The larger nèi piào will be loose, and the smaller nèi fēi will be partially pressed into the tea. This is the one to use for authentification, and perhaps someone here can recognize it if you post a pic.

[heavydoom]

we need more pics of the front of the cake itself, back and front.

[silverneedles]

is the cake "weight" the amount of raw leaf they put in at the beginning? or at the end of processing(pressing +/- fermentation)

[shogun89]

is the cake "weight" the amount of raw leaf they put in at the beginning? or at the end of processing(pressing +/- fermentation)

Its once the cake is packaged. (after pressing and drying).

[Salsero]

I weighed a a few of my cakes and bricks after reading this. It seems that my small sizes (100 gr) are more likely (in every case actually) to be under than my big cakes and bricks.

I have always avoided checking weight because I figured it would just upset me, but the opposite seems to be the case. Even fully dried the 357 gr to 500 gr cakes weigh their stated amount or more. They must have weighed considerably more just after manufacture and before drying.

[shogun89]

My bai cha tang cake I just received was the only one I ever weighed and it was 386 grams. (stated 400 gram cake) Thats fine with me. Could you imagine how hard it would be to get the exact amount. I think it is very rare. You would probably most likely see it in a blend IMO.

[Jim Liu]

The weight of a Puerh tea product is weighed at the time when maocha is compressed into a cake/brick/tuo.

The accuracy of the scaler, the dryness of maocha and other factors all contribute to the finished product.

I used to have a golden mellon labelled as 1kg but the actual weight is less than 870g. Should I be pissed by the shortchange?

Believe it or not, the human body has 70% H2O.

[Wesli]

Believe it or not, the human body has 70% H2O.

With the amount of tea I drink... It's more like 99.99%

[Bert]

I used to have a golden mellon labelled as 1kg but the actual weight is less than 870g. Should I be pissed by the shortchange?

I would! (130g!)

[shogun89]

I used to have a golden mellon labelled as 1kg but the actual weight is less than 870g. Should I be pissed by the shortchange?

I would! (130g!)

Yeah me too!