#tea brick

[emmaklee]

tea brick

ph Ira Rezak

[liquid-book-of-days]

Did you know that tea was once used as a form of money? It was crafted as tea bricks and used as money in China, Mongolia, Tibet, Siberia, Turkmenistan and Russia from 9th to 20th century. The culture had also spread in Europe, though not in America. It all first started in China. In and around the 9th century, traders had to transport everything on horses and camel’s back. Thus, all items were so crafted that they took as little space as possible. With this in mind, the Chinese compressed the thoroughly dried and ground tea leaves in various shaped molds to create a brick out of them. They could then be transported easily. Later, these started being used as a form of money.  At this point, binding agents like flour, manure or even blood was mixed with it so that it remained intact while passing hands as money. It was also divided into five types of quality with each carrying a different stamp and a different value. The distinction was made with respect to their colour; tea leaves quality, their fermentation as well as the proportion of tea leaves and wood. Perhaps one of the most striking visual presentations of processed tea, the tea bricks still exist and are even manufactured today. The tea brewed from a tea brick has its own unique taste and flavour which is immensely enjoyed by tea lovers worldwide. In ancient times the bricks were first roasted over fire before being broken and added to boiling water to brew tea. Roasting the brick added a unique flavour to the tea as well as removed all impurities, thereby making the drink healthy to drink. The Chinese were known to also add onion, ginger as well as orange to the water for enhanced taste and flavour. To manufacture tea bricks, the sun dried tea is beaten well on hot plates with sticks to break it well and evenly. Then, it is sifted, steamed over boiling water and finally pressed into molds. Sometimes a little soot was mixed to it, especially if it was of inferior quality, to enhance its colour. The higher qualities were steamed and fermented in a cloth bag which was suspended over the boiler. A softened mash was also placed in a wooden mold having some rice water so that the mass remained adhered. As layers kept adding, the mix was compressed using powerful blows via an iron hammer. Next the powder of completely dried coarse twigs powder was sprinkled over the mass and in between layers. Once it completely filled the mold, it was taken apart and then baked over fire till completely dry. Today, tea bricks are mostly made from whole leaves. Varieties like Pu-Erh tea bricks are brewed for drinking tea while others are mostly sold as souvenirs as well as novelty items. One of its standard shape and sizes is that of a dome of 100 gm which is popular as ‘tuocha’, ‘bird’s nest tea’ or even as ‘bowl tea.’ Its other popular forms are as tea cake or ‘beencha’ and flat brick tea brick or ‘fang cha’. These are even scored in the back with indentations to facilitate easy breakage for brewing. Tea bricks tend to age and its flavour is enhanced with aging, much like wine.

[baglunchproducts]

Tea Bricks and Decor Tricks: Unveiling the Secrets of Decorating Favorites | Baglunch Products

Tea bricks have a captivating history that dates back thousands of years. They were first discovered in ancient China during the Tang Dynasty. Tea leaves were pressed into brick shapes to facilitate transportation and trade along the Silk Road. As tea bricks made their way to different regions, they became treasured commodities and symbols of wealth and hospitality.

[asterkurayami]

Girlfriend Tea (Grapefruit, Honey, Green Tea).

[asterkurayami]

Tea Brick. Art by THAIGRIS. If i'm going to be having a $5+ drink I like to be able to keep the cup. Tea Brick has great bottles. It's just the container they come in but I very much enjoy them. Also, halloween in May an extra plus.

[bigdesmond]

Do not disdain the tea stem, its value is better than you think - Lastea

Many times people think that tea with many tea stems means the low quality of tea. In fact, the stems have unexpected value.

Have you ever try the tea stem?

[more-orless-bien]

Any advice for preparing tea from a tea brick? It smells wonderful!

[sailorzeo]

Spent some time hacking away at the tea brick and discovered nope, it IS green tea. So once I had enough, and the water in the boiler had cooled to the right temp for green tea, I loaded the powder and chunks into the IngenuiTEA, and set it brewing. Yup, definitely green tea. And...not good, IMO. Tastes like overcooked green vegetables. Sugar just made it taste like sweet overcooked vegetables. I hit that flavor from a lot of green teas, which makes me think I just can't handle green teas. A little more on the brick. In my searching yesterday, I learned that these types of bricks are often made of lower quality, powdered tea leaves and stems. It's super compressed, like tablet candy (SweeTarts, Bottle Caps, Smarties) but a lot harder. A knife barely touched it. The cleaver and a hammer barely touched it. I ended up getting my hacksaw-like cheap serrated knife and sawing away at it. These bricks are often sold at historical reenactment places, even though bricks like this weren't imported into the US until 2000 or so. Most sites I saw that asked about them, the asker was advised, "just use it as a decorative novelty." I think I'll stick with loose leaf tea.