In the vast river of time, Tea stands as a tranquil sage, silently accompanying us and bearing witness to the changes of the world. Among all teas, White Tea cake stands out with its unique form and flavor. However, whether or not to wake the tea before brewing white tea cake has become a topic of heated debate among tea enthusiasts.

Recently, as the weather has turned cooler and a gentle breeze blows, what should have been a peaceful and pleasant afternoon was disrupted by a phone call from a friend. Her voice, tinged with regret, came through the line: “I broke the Dehua white porcelain plate you gave me.” Hearing this news, one can't help but feel a sense of loss. That round white porcelain plate, though not priceless, carried the beautiful symbolism of harmony and unity. Just like the smooth and finely crafted white tea cake, it emits a dry and fresh fragrance, evoking anticipation.

Many tea enthusiasts, after acquiring white tea cakes, often find themselves in a quandary: “How exactly should I brew it to fully enjoy its wonderful taste?” Some even firmly believe that “white tea pressed into cakes must be woken up before drinking to preserve its unique flavor.” But is this really true?

Let's first explore the essence of waking the tea. As the name suggests, waking the tea means awakening the dormant leaves. By allowing the tea to come into full contact with air and water, it regains its vitality and aroma. There are primarily two methods of waking the tea: dry waking and wet waking.

Dry waking involves breaking up Compressed tea into smaller pieces and placing them in a clay or ceramic jar for a slow awakening in a relatively sealed environment. Wet waking, on the other hand, involves rinsing the tea with boiling water to stimulate its aroma and taste.

For tightly compressed Pu'er tea cakes, waking the tea indeed yields significant results. Ripe Pu'er, made from sun-dried Green Tea and undergoing complex processes such as pile fermentation, benefits from waking the tea, which helps eliminate off-flavors and enhances the richness of its taste.

However, there is a fundamental difference between white tea cakes and Pu'er tea cakes. White tea cakes go through a process of picking, withering, and drying, preserving their internal substances well. Especially high-quality white tea cakes have undergone sufficient fermentation and transformation during production, releasing and integrating the internal substances within the tea leaves. Moreover, the gaps between the leaves of white tea cakes are relatively larger, facilitating the transformation of the internal substances. As long as they are properly stored, when you want to enjoy the tea, its taste remains pure and true. Therefore, for white tea cakes, the step of waking the tea is not necessary.

For aged high-quality white tea cakes, waking the tea could even have negative effects. After prying them open and placing them in a clay jar, prolonged exposure to air could cause the aromatic compounds to gradually evaporate, weakening the tea's aroma and making it less layered and complex. In particularly humid regions like Fujian, white tea cakes are more susceptible to moisture. This would weaken the tea's aroma, which is truly a loss.

Furthermore, if white tea cakes are stored in environments with excessively high humidity or improper temperatures, and the tea becomes spoiled, waking the tea will not improve its quality but rather amplify any off-flavors. Additionally, traditional methods of waking the tea can easily lead to the loss of nutrients in white tea cakes, depleting the original nutritional content. The first infusion, which should be the most nutritious and delicious, may lose its original nutrition due to waking the tea, resulting in subsequent infusions that are increasingly bland in taste.

So how can we perfectly brew the best flavor of white tea cakes? First, prepare a clean tea tray or tea leaf holder, then use a tea knife to gently pry off some tea leaves from the white tea cake. Pay attention to the force used when prying the tea, trying to keep the leaves intact as much as possible. If beginners accidentally pry too many broken leaves, there's no need to worry; simply place the broken leaves in a tea bag to avoid waste.

After prying the tea, pour the leaves into a white porcelain Gaiwan and add boiling water. After pouring the water, quickly drain the tea liquor into a clear pitcher, then serve. It's not difficult to notice that apart from the special step of prying the tea, the rest of the brewing process for white tea cakes is not much different from normal brewing of white tea.

Experienced tea enthusiasts can savor the rich taste of white tea by paying attention to the details when prying the tea, being careful and steady-handed. Beginners don't need to be anxious; with practice, mastering the techniques of prying the tea and pouring the tea liquor, they will surely experience the unique charm of white tea cakes through continuous experimentation.

Just as my friend approached the broken white porcelain plate with a different perspective, perhaps finding unexpected beauty, white tea cakes cannot be mended once part of them has been consumed. Therefore, we should properly store white tea cakes, avoiding the step of waking the tea, and brew them promptly after prying. Only then can we retain their delicate and fresh fragrance, experiencing the tranquility and peace akin to a gentle breeze and the freshness of grass and trees.

In this noisy world, let's take a moment to quiet our minds, brew a cup of white tea cake, and savor its essence, enjoying a peaceful moment that belongs solely to ourselves.