Pu'er Tea cakes are layered. To pry open a Pu'er tea cake intact, you need to use the right tools: a tea knife and a tea pick. The specific method is: stand the tea cake upright, choose a looser spot on the cake, parallel to the surface of the cake, slowly insert the tea knife from the edge, gently lever it, and repeat this operation, and you can pry open the Pu'er tea cake intact.

Method for Opening a Tea Cake

Due to the unique method of making tea cakes, special attention needs to be paid to maintain its integrity when opening it. Hold the tea needle and follow the texture of the tea cake along the edge, inserting it one needle at a time. Maintain the integrity of the pressed texture of the tea leaves. After going around the cake with the tea needle, you can Peel off a ring of the tea cake from the surface.

Next, continue to insert the needle following the pressing texture of the tea cake, one needle at a time, avoiding the temptation to forcefully pull the needle out after one insertion, as this can easily cause breakage. This ensures the full aroma and fresh scent when brewing the tea.

Method for Opening Compressed Tuo Tea

Compressed tuo tea is round and adorable, loved by tea enthusiasts. When prying open tuo tea, place the concave side up, and along the edge, follow the tea's texture and insert the needle into the center and outward four times each. Then, divide it evenly into eight sections, separating them bit by bit using the tea needle. Insert the needle diagonally into the side of the tuo tea to allow the whole piece to loosen and naturally fall apart. Afterward, it will be easy to pry the tea along its natural lines.

Use the tea needle to directly divide the tuo tea into four equal parts from the side. Then, divide it further into eight parts. Insert the tea needle diagonally into the side of the tuo tea to let the whole piece naturally detach. Carefully level the detached pieces and separate the tea strands.

Method for Opening Brick Tea

Brick tea is tightly compressed, but there's a trick to prying it open. Stand the brick tea upright and insert the tea needle according to the texture of the pressed tea. Insert it multiple times to peel off an entire side of the tea. A small 100g brick tea can be successfully pried into four smaller, flat pieces. You can then gently break the rest apart by hand. Prying smaller bricks is relatively easier, while larger, tightly compressed bricks are slightly more difficult, but the principle remains the same.