Anybody know where I can buy a YAK. $.30/kg even impresses this miser of tea prices. I'd love to run a brick through a pressure cooker. I'd strain and use the broth with buttermilk. Hey wait, I don't need the YAK.
Jim
I am just back from making tea in Georgia (former soviet Union). They
> are making big efforts to reinstate their tea industry and to come up
> with some interesting specialty teas - more of this another time. >
> While there I saw green tea bricks being made. These are hefty things
> weighing from 2 to 5 lbs depending on type - both round ones (dia. 9"
> by 1.5" thick) and oblong (15 x 6 x 1" thick)with embossed Chinese.
> They were destined for Mongolia and are sold ex factory at US cents 30
> per kg - the low price reflecting the input material - over wintered
> bush prunings. Close up the brick reveals compressed twigs and stalk
> and old leaf. Definitely not one for the tea gourmet, but I was
> assured that Mongolians prefer these to the better quality Yunnan red
> (black) tea bricks - the ones that are often stocked by US specialty > tea vendors.
>
> Can't lay my hands on any photos but you can see some images of better
> quality Georgian green tea bricks atformatting link
> Tonus claims that these are low caffeine, judged from the amount of
> tea wood that I saw being processed this would be true!
>
> Nigel at Teacraft