Okay, so, I got this white tea cake, and let me tell you, I’ve been trying to figure out how to brew it properly. This is my story about how I finally got there.

First, I got my hands on this 350g White Peony tea cake. It’s called “Bai Mu Dan” or something, and apparently, it’s lightly processed and full of antioxidants. Good start, right?

Breaking it down

• Prying the tea: This was the first hurdle. I didn’t want to just hack at it, so I carefully pried off just what I needed. I mean, it’s a cake, but not that kind of cake! More like those dense cookies people used to eat with tea in the old days.
• Measuring it out: Then I measured out about 5 grams of tea. I used this small white Gaiwan thingy, which holds about 110 ml.

Brewing experiments

• First try: I followed the instructions I found, 3-5 grams per 8 oz of water. Started with hot water and let it steep for a minute or two. The result was … okay. It was my first try!

• Tweaking it: I’m not one to give up easily. So I started playing around with the steeping time, the amount of tea, and the water temperature. After all, I had to adjust my brewing according to my own preference.

  

Finally

It took a few tries, but I finally nailed it. I found that a slightly shorter steeping time and a bit more tea worked best for me. I ended up with a delicate, subtle flavor that’s just right. Not too strong, not too weak. Unlike Pu-erh, it’s really light. Now, whenever I brew it, it’s perfect.

So, yeah, that’s my white tea cake adventure. It’s all about experimenting and finding what works for you. I enjoyed the process a lot. Trust me, once you get it right, it’s totally worth it!