Pu-erh cake loosening technique

I recently found this method for loosening cakes/bricks and was wondering what everyone thought about it. It comes from a Q&A area on the http://www.houdeasianart.com/ site.

"Q: Now I have my newly acquired Pu-erhs. Then what? What to do with them to make my pu-erh tea? There are two ways to loosen a compressed Pu-erh (cake, brick, mushroom, or toucha):

1. Brutal-force way! Use hammer, knife, chisel or whatever your landscaping tools (kidding, of coz) to chip or knock down enough amount for brewing.

2. Steaming method: This is a much more civilized version. Several advantages from this method:
a. The loosened leaves will retain more complete and original shape than the brutal force way.

b. If you are like me, it is fun to get your hands "tea-y"!c. It becomes more convenient to have all the loose tea than having to find your hammer everytime you try ot enjoy.
We use the following pictures to illustrate how we do the steaming to loosen two 2004 Jia Ji XiaGuan Toucha.

Step 1: Find a wok and a bamboo steamer (or whatever have similar functions). Put a bowl of water into the wok. Then put the two toucha onto the steamer.

Step 2: Turn on the heat and cover the steamer. Your pu-erh is now enjoying some steamy Sauna! Steam for around 3 mins. The time is only experimental; different cakes or bricks may requires different steaming time.

Step 3: See... after 3 mins Sauna, the toucha are looking very "relaxed"!

Step 4: Now is the most FUN part! Use your mighty hands to gently loosen the toucha and try NOT to cook your fingers! They can be very hot. The toucha now is soft and flexible, as you can see how I "bend" one of them.

Final: Now, you have a pile of good loose Pu-erh for easy enjoyment : )

However, newly steamed pu-erh need to be dried for about 2 hours (more is better) before you put them into containers. Just let them dry in an open and dry place without direct sunlight. Otherwise, those nutritious leaves will invite some fungus to grow on them very quickly. You can make a brew of the loose Pu-erh tea just like ... yea, a loose tea. Try this! I am sure you will love the extra connection you build between your pu-erhs and you. "

2008 Dayi 0622 Pu-erh Tea Cake

This tea cake is produced by Menghai Tea factory, a flag ship Pu-erh tea manufacturer. It is a combination of the most successful 92 square brick and 7532 formula blend green Pu-erh cake on the marketplace that have huge followings. It is said that you could not go wrong with Dayi brand. The infusion yields a strong liquor that is slightly bitter but finishes with a sweet aftertaste. This cake has been identified as the production batch 801.

This is a raw pu-erh sample that appears to have premium leaves with not too much stem content. The liquor is a beautiful orange and has good clarity. For a 2008 vintage pu-erh, this tea has very little bitterness and has a nice sweet finish. I must admit that I am enjoying this somewhat more than the 2001 vintage tea that I sampled yesterday. The infusion has more body and the finish is more complex although I am hard pressed to precisely describe the complexity. Perhaps, I will gain more insight in later infusions.

In successive infusions, the body has become even more mellow. There is no hint of bitterness just a very pleasant palate cleansing feel. There seems to be a very silky finish with hints of honey and cinnamon.

While I am not very experienced, this would appear to be a great to store for the long haul as well as enjoy. I believe that I will definitely purchase a larger quantity than my current sample size.

2001 Yiwu Zhengshan Old Tree Pu-erh

Description from the Puerh Shop:

"This is a lightly aged authentic CNNP (China National Native Produce and Animal By-products Imp. And Exp. Corp., Yunnan Branch) product. The liquor has started to show a beautiful reddish amber color and quite pleasing to the eye, not cloudy or hazy but truly nice. The taste was woody and floral, smooth and lasting, with a silky finish.
- Pu-erh Tea Cake 357g/12.6 ounces
- Unfermented or raw
- Vintage 2001
- Premium class
- Loose tea leaves
- Caffeine: Moderate"

The dry leaves of this tea are large and appear to be premium in quality. When steeped, they open and turn a beautiful green. The aroma of the tea is very pleasant and earthy but otherwise unremarkable.
The tea has a nice light yellow-orange color with good clarity.
The tea has some nice body but I fail to discern any particular fruity notes when rolled across the tongue. The very slightly bitter start is complemented by mildly sweet finish.

I realize 7 years is not much aging for a green pu-erh but I was expecting a little more from this tea. Perhaps it was my unsophisticated palate but I did not get any more out of this tea than I did from a recent tasting of a 2008 pu-erh. It was still good tea but I did not get any wow factor from the tasting session.

Initial blog setup

Today, I finally took the step to set up my blog. Not sure I understand all of the ins and outs of this but have at least got the process started. I just received some nice Pu-erh tea samples so I wanted to have a location to record my observations.
My thoughts on the subject may seem somewhat primitive by the standards of some but they should become more mature (or perhaps not) as I sample more teas.
I look forward to sharing and getting some feedback from others that may have tried the same teas.