Yunnan Seven Son Tea Cake refers to compressed Pu-erh tea cakes, also known as round tea, which belong to the dark tea category. They are called “Seven Son” tea cakes because seven tea cakes are traditionally wrapped together into a single bamboo-shoot-husk cylinder. Both raw (sheng) and ripe (shou) Pu-erh teas are made into Seven Son cakes, making it the most popular form of Pu-erh tea production.
Seven Son tea cakes have a flat, round shape like a full moon, which is quite unique. Their standard weight is 357 grams with a diameter of 21 cm. They are thickest in the middle, flattest at the edges, and feature an indentation in the center of the back, which is designed for easy storage and transportation. This shape primarily facilitates storage and shipping, and it also aids in post-fermentation. In recent years, many Pu-erh teas have been pressed into tea cakes in both raw and ripe styles. Aged raw Seven Son tea cakes command very high prices and have even become collector’s items in the market.
▲ Yunnan Seven Son Tea Cake; pictured above is a ripe tea cake.
▲Seven tea cakes wrapped together make a stack of Seven Son tea cakes.
Making Yunnan Seven Son tea cakes involves harvesting, sorting, steaming for sterilization, pressing, and aging. Ripened tea undergoes an additional pile-fermentation process. Ripened tea typically appears dark red, while raw tea is mostly greenish-brown. As the tea ages, its quality improves. Raw Seven Son tea cakes aged over 10 years often command prices of several thousand RMB or more. Cakes aged over 20 years can even reach million-dollar collector values, which is quite astounding.
How to Brew Yunnan Seven Son Tea Cakes
First, use a specialized tea knife to pry the tea loose from the recessed back. When brewing, use spring water boiled in a medium-to-large kettle. The tea-to-water ratio is 1 to 50, meaning use 2 g of Seven Son tea cake for a 100 ml pot. Steep for about 2 minutes before serving.
▲Seven Son tea cakes should be pried apart before brewing.