Bing Cha (Tea Cake)
Bing cha (饼茶) is tea compressed into a flat round cake, most often a 357 g pu'er cake, made for storage, transport and long aging.
Definition
Bing cha (饼茶, bǐng chá) means "cake tea." It is loose leaf that has been steamed until soft, pressed into a round, flat disc, and dried. The form is most associated with pu'er, but white tea and some other dark teas are also pressed into cakes. The standard pu'er cake weighs 357 g. Seven of them are stacked and wrapped in bamboo leaf to make a tong of about 2.5 kg, which is why the cake is formally called qizi bing (七子饼, seven-son cake). Smaller cakes of 100 g and 200 g are also common, along with larger ones. Each cake is usually wrapped in paper printed with the factory or brand, and a small paper ticket called a neifei (内飞) is pressed into the leaf to identify the producer. Compression began as a practical answer to transport: a dense cake travels well by horse or porter along the Tea Horse Road. It also slows the aging process to a steady pace. Sheng pu'er in cake form changes gradually over years and decades, turning from bitter and astringent toward smooth, sweet and woody, depending on storage humidity and temperature.
In Depth
To break a cake, slide a pu'er knife or pick into the edge, parallel to the surface, and lever off layers rather than chipping across the top. Loosely pressed cakes come apart by hand; tight stone or machine pressings take more care. Aim for whole leaves rather than crumbs.
Brew sheng or shou cake tea at 95-100°C (203-212°F), about 6-8 g per 100 ml in a gaiwan, with a quick rinse to open the leaf, then 10-20 second infusions.
Store cakes away from light and odors, at roughly 60-70% relative humidity and stable room temperature. Too dry and aging stalls; too damp and mold can form. White mold or a musty smell means the cake should be discarded. Keep cakes in their original paper wrappers.
See Also
- Pu'er Storage
- Tea Horse Road
- Compressed Tea