We purchased these back in 2009 in the form of 50 gram and 100 gram bricks of Cha Gao, but found them to be very brittle, often breaking during shipping. We ended up pulling them from the website and set aside, but then forgot about them until now! This is entirely 2008 spring harvest Jinggu area ripe pu-erh that was processed into Cha Gao bricks in 2009. As mentioned, the bricks are cracked and broken so you will get pieces of the brick according to the weight you purchase This is an incredibly smooth Cha Gao, that has dark chocolate notes and long sweet after-finish. It brews thick and dark and it has a noticeably strong cha qi. This can be quite stimulating tea, so don't drink too much at a time until you get to know it. We recommend dissolving 1 gram in about 200-300ml of hot water. These can also be dissolved in cold water as well (might take a bit more time). Cha Gao - Instant Pu-erh Tea Resin 茶膏 : This specialty of Yunnan province uses a technique to take the liquid from the tea leaves and then solidifies the liquid into shapes which can easily be dissolved in water to make tea. 'Cha Gao' literally means 'tea paste', and this technique evolved from a process developed in the Tang 唐 and Song 宋 dynasties, while the process of making Pu-erh Cha Gao in particular was enhanced and perfected during the Qing 清 dynasty, which was considered to be the pinnacle of 'cha gao' quality. Unfortunately, imperial techniques employed during the Qing dynasty were lost with the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, and attempts to revive the industry in subsequent decades fell short and the practice of making tea-paste practically vanished. Now, with modern technology it is possible to produce tea-paste that is of similar quality to that which was produced during the Qing dynasty. When preparing, pour the water over the resin little by little to allow it time to completely dissolve; some cha gao also require that they be placed into water that has already been poured. CAFFEINE SAFETY WARNING Cha Gao is a highly concentrated Pu-erh tea extract. High Caffeine Content: This product contains a high level of naturally occurring caffeine, up to 90 mg per 1 gram . Exercise caution when consuming. A recommended single serving is typically no more than 1 gram . KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.
