The primary objective when prising open a 357g Pu-erh tea cake is to preserve whole leaves and retain batch records, not to break the cake into as fine pieces as possible. Prepare a tea needle, a clean dry surface and several labelled portion pouches, noting the product name, batch number, date of opening and the original packaging location.
Insert the needle gently into the edge or natural crevices of the cake, using loosened layers to ease the leaves apart and avoiding horizontal levering. Detach only enough for a few days to a few weeks of use, keeping the remainder of the cake in its original wrapping or in suitable light-proof, dry packaging materials. Do not store alongside soap, perfume or strong kitchen odours. Storage location, opening date and ongoing flavour notes can all be recorded on the same card.
Prising tea is merely a method of handling; it does not indicate vintage, appreciation potential or maturation results. Tea cake weights for Jiang Rong Hao correspond to the product pages; if storage conditions and production batches are not listed, enquire prior to purchase. View Tea Cakes
Portion pouches should ideally retain the product name and original packaging batch, rather than simply stating 'raw Pu-erh' or 'ripe Pu-erh'. If tea cakes come from different years or distinct storage environments, they must be stored and sampled separately. Any dampness or odour absorption incurred during transit should be documented upon delivery and reported to the seller, rather than relying on memory months later.