Pu-erh: Difference between revisions

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Depending on the desired product and speed, from quickest and tightest to slowest and loosest, pressing can either be done by:

* A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is occasionally decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is used to make almost all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tea can be pressed either with or without it being bagged, with the latter done by using a metal mould. Tightly compressed ''bǐng'', formed directly into a mold without bags using this method are known as ''tié bǐng'' (~~[[wiktionary:鐵|鐵]][[wiktionary:餅|餅]], literally "iron cake/puck"~~) due to its density and hardness. The taste of densely compressed raw pu-erh is believed to benefit from careful aging for up to several decades.

* A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is occasionally decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is used to make almost all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tea can be pressed either with or without it being bagged, with the latter done by using a metal mould. Tightly compressed ''bǐng'', formed directly into a mold without bags using this method are known as ''tié bǐng'' (鐵餅) due to its density and hardness. The taste of densely compressed raw pu-erh is believed to benefit from careful aging for up to several decades.

* A lever press, which was operated by hand for tight pressings and has largely been replaced by the modern hydraulic press.

* A large heavy stone, carved into the shape of a short cylinder with a handle, simply weighs a bag of tea down onto a wooden board. The tension from the bag and the weight of the stone together give the tea its rounded and sometimes non-uniformed edge. Due to the manual labor involved, this method of pressing is often referred to as: "hand" or "stone-pressing", and is how many artisanal ''pu-erh bǐng'' are still manufactured.

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 Depending on the desired product and speed, from quickest and tightest to slowest and loosest, pressing can either be done by:
-* A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is occasionally decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is used to make almost all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tea can be pressed either with or without it being bagged, with the latter done by using a metal mould. Tightly compressed ''bǐng'', formed directly into a mold without bags using this method are known as ''tié bǐng'' ([[wiktionary:鐵|鐵]][[wiktionary:餅|餅]], literally "iron cake/puck") due to its density and hardness. The taste of densely compressed raw pu-erh is believed to benefit from careful aging for up to several decades.
+* A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is occasionally decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is used to make almost all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tea can be pressed either with or without it being bagged, with the latter done by using a metal mould. Tightly compressed ''bǐng'', formed directly into a mold without bags using this method are known as ''tié bǐng'' (鐵餅) due to its density and hardness. The taste of densely compressed raw pu-erh is believed to benefit from careful aging for up to several decades.
 * A lever press, which was operated by hand for tight pressings and has largely been replaced by the modern hydraulic press.
 * A large heavy stone, carved into the shape of a short cylinder with a handle, simply weighs a bag of tea down onto a wooden board. The tension from the bag and the weight of the stone together give the tea its rounded and sometimes non-uniformed edge. Due to the manual labor involved, this method of pressing is often referred to as: "hand" or "stone-pressing", and is how many artisanal ''pu-erh bǐng'' are still manufactured.