Tea brick

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Tea bricks (traditional Chinese: 茶磚; simplified Chinese: 茶砖, zhūan chá) or compressed tea (traditional: 緊壓茶; simplified: 紧压茶, jǐnyā chá) are blocks of whole or finely ground tea leaves that have been packed in molds and pressed into block form. This was the most commonly produced and used form of tea in ancient China prior to the Ming Dynasty. Although tea bricks are less commonly produced in modern times, many post-fermented teas, such as pu-erh, are still commonly found in bricks, discs, and other pressed forms. Tea bricks can be made into beverages or eaten as a source of food, and were also used in the past as a form of currency.

Contents 1 Production 2 Consuming tea bricks 2.1 Beverage 2.2 Food 3 Tea bricks as currency 4 Health effects 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Production

In ancient China, compressed teas were usually made with thoroughly dried and ground tea leaves that were pressed into various bricks or other shapes, although partially dried and whole leaves were also used. Some tea bricks were also mixed with binding agents such as flour, blood, or manure in order to even better preserve their form such that they could withstand physical use as currency. Newly formed tea bricks were then left to cure, dry, and age prior to being sold or traded. Tea bricks were preferred in trade prior to the 19th century in Asia since they were more compact than loose leaf tea and were also less susceptible to physical damage incurred through transportation over land by caravans on the Ancient tea route.

Tea bricks are still currently manufactured for drinking, as in pu-erh teas, as well as for souvenirs and novelty items, though most compressed teas produced in modern times are usually made from whole leaves. The compressed tea can take various traditional forms, many of them still being produced. A dome-shaped nugget of 100g (standard size) is simply called tuóchá (沱茶), which is translated several ways, sometimes as "bird's nest tea" or "bowl tea." A small dome-shaped nugget with a dimple underneath just enough to make one pot or cup of tea is called a xiǎo tuóchá (小沱茶; the first word meaning "small") which usually weighs 3g–5g. A larger piece around 375g, which may be a disc with a dimple, is called bǐngchá (饼茶, literally "biscuit tea" or "cake tea"). A large, flat, square brick is called fángchá (方茶, literally "square tea").

In order to produce a tea brick, tea (either in ground or whole form) is first steamed, then placed into one of a number of types of press and compressed into a solid form. Such presses may leave an intended imprint on the tea, such as an artistic design or simply the pattern of the cloth with which the tea was pressed. Many powdered tea bricks are moisten with rice water in pressing to assure that the tea powder sticks together. The pressed blocks of tea are then left to dry in storage until a suitable degree of moisture has evaporated.

[edit] Consuming tea bricks

Due to their density and toughness tea bricks were traditionally consumed after they have been ground to a fine powder. The legacy of using of tea bricks in powdered form can be seen through modern Japanese tea powders as well as the pulverized tea leaves used in the lei cha (擂茶) eaten by the Hakka people.

[edit] Beverage

In ancient China the use of tea bricks involved three separate steps:

1. Toasting: A piece was broken from the tea brick and usually first toasted over a fire. This was likely done to sanitize the tea brick and destroy any molds or insects. Such infestations likely occurred when the bricks were stored openly in warehouses and storerooms or in covered jars underground. Toasting also imparted a pleasant flavor to the resulting tea.
2. Grinding: The toasted tea brick was broken up and ground to a fine powder.
3. Whisking: The powdered tea was mixed into hot water and frothed with a whisk before serving. The color and patterns formed by the powdered tea were enjoyed while the mixture was being imbibed.

In modern times, bricks of pu-erh type teas are flaked, chipped, or broken and directly steeped after thorough rinsing. The process of toasting, grinding, and whisking to make tea from tea bricks is now uncommon and not generally practiced.

[edit] Food

Tea bricks are used as a form of food in parts of Central Asia and Tibet in the past as much as in modern times. In Tibet pieces of tea are shaved from tea bricks, and boiled overnight in water, sometimes with salt. The resulting concentrated tea infusion is then mixed with butter and roasted barley flour. When churned together and served as thin gruel through the addition of more tea, the mixture is called butter tea or po cha.

The same mixture with the addition of much less tea is called tsampa. Individual portions of the mixture are kneaded in a small bowls, formed into balls and eaten. Some cities of the Fukui prefecture in Japan have food similar to tsampa, where concentrated tea is mixed with grain flour. However, the tea may or may not be made of tea bricks.

In parts of Mongolia and central Asia, a mixture of ground tea bricks, grain flours and boiling water is eaten directly. It has been suggested that tea eaten whole provide for needed roughage normally lacking in the diet.

[edit] Tea bricks as currency

Due to the high value of tea in many parts of Asia, tea bricks were used as a form of currency throughout China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Central Asia. This is quite similar to use of Salt bricks as currency in parts of Africa. Tea bricks were in fact the preferred form of currency over metallic coins for the nomads of Mongolia and Siberia. The tea could not only be used as money and eaten as food in times of hunger but also brewed as allegedly beneficial medicine for treating coughs and colds. Up until World War II, tea bricks were still used as a form of edible currency in Siberia.

[edit] Health effects

Brick tea often contains very high levels of fluorine compounds, due to the fact that it is generally made from old tea leaves and stems, which accumlulate fluorine. This has led to fluorosis (a form of fluoride poisoning that affects the bones and teeth) in areas of high brick tea consumption, such as Tibet.[1][2]

[edit] References

• Ken Bressett "Tea Money of China" International Primitive Money Society Newsletter Number 44, August 2001
• "History of Tea: China" [3]
• National Palace Museum Exhibition Brochure "Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: the Culture, Practice and Art of Tea" Taiwan 2002 [4]
• Wang, Ling. (2003) Chinese tea culture, Pelanduk Publications, ISBN 9679787788
• Cao J., Zhao Y., Liu J.W., (1998), "Safety evaluation and fluorine concentration of Pu'er brick tea and Bianxiao brick tea" Food Chem Toxicol 36(12):1061-1063
• Cao J., Zhao Y., Liu J., (1997), "Brick tea consumption as the cause of dental fluorosis among children from Mongol, Kazak and Yugu populations in China" Food Chem Toxicol 35(8):827-833

[edit] External links

• http://www.charm.ru/coins/misc/teamoney.shtml - Tea Money of China. Ken Bressett.