Breaking into a Tuo Cha?

Hehe, whatever works, works....

Sharp instruments like scissors and kitchen knives make me nervous. The stuff can be really hard and the chances for slippage are high.

I like the oyster knife aproach for bingcha and bricks, where you can attack the sides with a twisting motion and flake off layers of tea. I like to use a pair of gooseneck pliers (channelocks) for tuocha. Another method that works is to wrap the tuocha in a cloth and whack it with a hammer right on the top of the dome. Once you make the first break the rest is usually easier.

Mike

I am a beginner but you can steam them apart also, the tea seller in Texas, Hou De has a good description on his website.

I think we had a pretty good discussion on this before about a year ago. Give it a search, and I'm sure you can pull up the info. But, I'm with Mike, as always. I use a sorta letter opener looking pu'er knife that I got for about 25 cents here in China. It always does the trick.

I've used the hammer tactic before too.

I'd be worried about doing the steaming thing unless you have a really good place for the leaves to dry again. If you do it incorrectly, it can end up tasting like wet store.

I think we had a pretty good discussion on this before about a year ago. Give it a search, and I'm sure you can pull up the info. But, I'm with Mike, as always. I use a sorta letter opener looking pu'er knife that I got for about 25 cents here in China. It always does the trick.

I've used the hammer tactic before too.

I'd be worried about doing the steaming thing unless you have a really good place for the leaves to dry again. If you do it incorrectly, it can end up tasting like wet store.

If you have one, widdle the nest with a spoon. If you have two, widdle the bird of one in the nest of the other. This approach works for any architecture. You'll find there is a grain in one direction and you oppose that with the grain of another. I have one green log that is so damn hard I use it as a opposing grain pestle. You attack the tuochas from the nest, the cakes from the rims, the logs from the end, and the bricks from the edges.

Jim

Dom> I have seen and read about using various implements to break apart

Good stuff. Thanks for the replies. I do have the ability to have a pair of pliers, so I may go that route so I'm not banging on my desk... never thought of that, and exactly the type of hint I was looking for Mike. I also really like the idea of using two tuo chas against each other.

One question for Mike... do you have any oposition to some of the lower-end Pu-Erh being reviewed on your site? As someone who has now tried a few items from each class and type it is the only thing I found lacking in your coverage that would have been helpful to a newbie. I really am enjoying the cheapie ($1.50) Xiaguan Tuo Cha from Ten Ren a lot. I actually like it better than some of the expensive green pu-erhs I bought online. I was expecting it to be garbage.

- Dominic Drinking: Spring 2006 Lung Ching

By all means please submit any review you so desire, the review section is open to allow anybody to submit ANY puerh review whatsoever. My only request is that the review be on some type of puerh, the only other genre that would be desirable here would be various forms of heicha like Liu An, Tianjian, or 1000 Liang etc. __ Mike

Hey Dominic, my intro to pu-erh was the lower end mini tuos. I liked them so much that it can only get better! Now I have maybe 10K off stuff laid in and it's a fun journey.

Tom

I agree with Mydnight, if you do it incorrectly, you'll end up with a pile of rotten leaves instead of dried ones. Another thing, after you steam open the cakes or tuochas, you cannot sun it under direct sunlight, that will kill the leaves further.

It is much easier to find a long lazy afternoon, put on some good music, get a good letter opener, sit down in a cozy chair with a large sheet of paper spread out on the table and experience the joy of prying these things open.

Mike and others might have noticed the elation on my face when I pried open a cake...haha

Danny

Hehe, elation wasn't the word, you looked like you needed a cigarette when you were done....

-- Mike Petro

Sure, but the cake itself seemed distressed.

/Lew

Heh, or you may have owed it dinner and a drink at least afterwards... ;)

As far as steaming them apart, I would have to agree with the comments so far in that you would then need to use it up in one setting, which would be tough to do with so much tea.

I know many on this NG speak highly of Houde, but this seems like a sure fire way to alter the flavor, introduce mold/bacteria, or any number of bad things. I'll stick to my scissors at work until I buy a new cheap pair of needlenose pliers just for tea.

- Dominic Drinking: White Crane Green Pu-Erh

I have found that "gooseneck" pliers work far better than most other styles.

-- Mike Petro

Two words: Cold Chisel. Nothing better, two sharp points on corners, beveled edge allows for good prying angle digging into cakes or tuos, and almost no chance of ever bending or warping the tool.

A very good idea... I do have a realy nice small chisel at home that is unused due to its size, but it would be perfect for tea. Unfortunately though, I definitely can't have that at work. I'm starting to get good with my little pointy scissors and I've only lost three fingers and a few serious puncture wounds! :)

- Dominic

Tight tuos are tough. Not having tried it yet, I suspect that the best way on highly compressed bricks of all shapes is slow cracking between three dowels in something like a book press. Here in poikilothermous New England, I've found that just leaving bricks unwrapped usually makes them pretty friable in a couple of months. In the shorter term, a big bench vise is pretty handy.

At the portion level, here are a couple of tools I use:

Plausible ideas for improvement welcome.

-DM