Pu'er Tea has a well-known variety, the Seven Sons Cake. A Seven Sons Cake refers to seven cakes per tube, each cake weighing seven liang. This ancient tradition dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Seven Sons Cake tea has become the predominant type of Pu'er tea.

How is Pu'er tea made into cakes? It's not just by stone mill pressing! When Pu'er tea is initially finished, it is in loose Leaf form; the process of transforming “loose tea” into “Compressed tea” is known as tea pressing.

1. Weighing the Tea

Loose tea is typically weighed using an iron bucket, with 357 grams (or other quantities) placed inside.

2. Steaming the Tea

The tea is steamed over water, usually for about half a minute, until it becomes soft.

3. Putting the Tea in a Cloth Bag

The steamed loose tea is placed into a special cloth bag, with different bags used for different weights (such as 357g, 300g, or 500g).

4. Shaping the Tea

The bag is tightly tied and shaped into a round form. The knot in the cloth bag will eventually become the “inner concavity” of the tea cake.

5. Stone Mill Pressing

In traditional methods, a stone mill is used to press the tea, resulting in cakes that are neither too tight nor too loose, without damaging the dry tea leaves. This is generally done for 3-5 minutes. In modern processes, machines can be used for pressing, which makes the cakes tighter but can damage the tea leaves and slow down their maturation.

6. Inspection

The compression and shape of the tea cake are checked.

7. Drying in the Shade

The pressed tea cakes, still in their cloth bags, are left to cool in the shade, making it easier to remove the bags later and helping the cakes to set their shape.

8. Removing the Cloth Bag

Once the tea cakes have cooled, the cloth bags are removed, revealing the complete tea cakes.

9. Sun Drying

The tea cakes are dried in the sun to remove any remaining steam and excess moisture, which aids in storage.

10. Wrapping in Cotton Paper

The tea cakes are wrapped in cotton paper, completing the final version of the Pu'er tea cake. The practice of compressing Pu'er tea into cakes emerged historically due to its transportation along the ancient Tea Horse Road. Making tea into cakes facilitated transport and storage. Additionally, compared to loose tea, the aroma of compressed tea dissipates more slowly and can improve with age. Its maturation process is also more consistent and enduring.