For those who love White Tea, as their understanding, tasting, contact, and storage needs deepen, they will face a question: Is loose leaf white tea better than cake tea, or vice versa? Should one store more cake tea or loose leaf tea?
01 What is Loose Leaf Tea? What is Cake Tea?
Loose leaf tea is not subjected to fixation, rolling, or kneading. Fresh leaves are directly withered and then dried after which the finished tea can be sealed for storage. Tea enthusiasts often say that loose leaf white tea is in its most natural state, loose and arranged in an irregular yet orderly manner.
Cake tea is made by softening loose leaf white tea with steam, placing it into a mold to shape it, and then drying it.
02 Why Did Cake and Other Compressed Forms Appear?
As white tea became more popular and sales increased, production also expanded, putting increasing pressure on the storage capacities of tea farmers and factories. The volume of cake tea is only one-third that of loose leaf tea, which helps reduce storage pressure and save space.
In addition, loose leaf tea is prone to breakage during transportation, increasing losses. There are also different functional needs among specific groups of consumers who seek varying flavors, rich layers, and the advantages of storage, leading to the emergence of cake tea.
03 Raw Materials and Processing Methods
Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen), top-grade and first-grade White Peony (Bai Mudan) have high picking standards, low yields, and excellent quality, so they are mostly available in loose leaf form, which is beneficial for appreciating their appearance when tasting.
Based on actual white tea production and market demand, raw materials for compressed white tea are mainly Shoumei, Gongmei, and second-grade and below White Peony. These not only facilitate long-term storage or transportation but also promote later conversion and aging. Loose leaf tea takes up more space, and some of the original aromas of new teas can easily dissipate, while compressed teas can retain their aroma longer.
Considering the characteristic of white tea becoming “more fragrant with age,” storing loose leaf tea is more conducive to aging and achieving relatively ideal results within a shorter timeframe.
04 Form and Storage
Loose leaf tea retains its original state, offering a purer taste.
Cake tea undergoes additional fermentation during steaming and pressing, making its flavor richer and the liquor color darker. After aging, it more easily develops glutinous rice, jujube, and medicinal aromas.
Loose leaf tea is easier to transform, but it takes up more space and is prone to breaking or becoming damp. In this respect, cake tea has an advantage.
05 Age, Flavor, and Aroma
When new tea is directly pressed into cakes, there may be a musty, cooked grassy, or water-like odor, which requires time to dissipate. After several years of aging, the tea's character becomes stable and the flavor harmonious. At this point, pressing it into cakes not only makes transportation and storage convenient but also enhances the complexity of its taste.
The aromas of loose leaf tea and cake tea have their own characteristics. Initially, loose leaf tea may be more fragrant, with a higher and more pronounced aroma. After a period of time, the aroma of loose leaf tea becomes clearer and fresher, while that of cake tea becomes more restrained and sweet, with stronger medicinal and jujube aromas.
06 Compressed White Tea
White tea is said to be “a tea of one year, a medicine of three years, and a treasure of seven years.” Does the different form of cake tea versus loose leaf tea affect the speed of transformation?
In later storage, the tea undergoes automatic oxidation. Water, temperature, oxygen, and light in the tea promote enzymatic oxidation of polyphenols and microbial transformation.
The later transformation of white tea fundamentally depends on the quality of the tea itself. Under the premise of ensuring the quality of the raw materials, supplemented by excellent processing techniques and compressed into cakes, it can transform into high-quality aged white tea.
Characteristics of Later Transformation
The changes in temperature and humidity experienced during the steaming and pressing of cake tea, along with cell damage, accelerate the transformation of the tea.
To put it this way, the transformation of cake tea differs from that of loose leaf tea. From the moment cake tea is compressed, it has already changed. The dry tea, liquor color, and infused leaves of cake tea are all darker.
In terms of flavor and aroma: the liquor of loose leaf tea tastes fresher and more refreshing, while cake tea has a sweeter and richer flavor. After steaming and pressing, the aroma gradually develops from floral to fruity and sweet. After long-term aging, cake tea can develop more pronounced aged, jujube, and medicinal aromas.
In terms of internal components: after being pressed into cakes, the content of water-soluble substances, polyphenols, and flavonoids in white tea decreases, while the content of amino acids and soluble sugars increases.
Choosing for Long-Term Storage Transformation
In the long run, loose leaf tea, due to its larger surface area exposed to air, will eventually surpass cake tea in transformation speed. Even if cake tea is properly compressed with sufficient gaps, its transformation speed will still gradually lag behind that of loose leaf tea.
White tea needs to be stored in a sealed container because it is very active and easily absorbs moisture, leading to deterioration.
If you prefer the traditional form and a fresh and clean taste, you might choose loose leaf tea. If you want to store large quantities for a long time, then the space-saving cake tea is a better choice.
Whether loose leaf or cake tea, the origin, raw materials, and manufacturing processes of white tea are the same. The only difference is that cake tea is later forcibly shaped, which slightly alters or accelerates the transformation of white tea and gives each its own unique characteristics.
The advantage of loose leaf tea is its clear and distinct aroma and ease of brewing; the disadvantage is its larger space requirement and higher storage cost, and it is prone to breakage during transportation.
Cake tea and other compressed teas, due to the need for aging, are compressed into cakes, bricks, or pearls, saving space. The advantages are smaller space requirements, easy storage and transportation