Made in China, brick tea was never generally drunk by the Chinese people themselves. Made from the leftovers of tea bushes and trees after the more select young leaves had been plucked, bits of the plant would be dried, steamed, and then compressed into bricks. These were then exported and bought by the nomadic tribes of Middle Asia and used as a staple part of their diet.
Ingredients of Brick Tea Once Included Bullock’s Blood
Brick tea has been made in China for centuries but rarely drunk there. Before the railways came, the bricks would be made and then transported across the old tea routes to Tibet and other places. It was extremely popular with the nomadic tribes from Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia and was even used as currency on occasions.
Essentially, brick tea was made from everything that was left on a tea bush or tea tree, once the younger leaves had been harvested to be made into quality teas, and included older leaves, twigs and stalks. They were all collected up and left out to dry in the sun. After the drying process was complete, the leaves and smaller twigs would then be gathered up into a cloth and hung over a large pot of boiling water to steam.
Steamed Leaves and Twigs Sprinkled with Tea Dust to Make Bricks
Once the steaming process was complete, the softened pieces would then be transferred to woven basket lined moulds in layers. Each layer was moistened with rice water which helped the leaves and smaller twigs stick together – although some sources, such as London’s Twice a Week of September 1862 suggest that bullock’s blood was also used to help make the mixture stick.
The tea debris would then be compressed and sprinkled with tea dust which was made by pounding the dried larger stalks of the tea plant into a powder. The layering and dusting process would continue until the moulds were full. The baskets in which the newly made bricks lay would then be sealed and placed in a kiln or in front of a fire until they were completely dried.
These large bricks, once dried, were then be packed into baskets and transported by yak, mule, horse or even human along the Tea and Horse Caravan Road of south west China to Tibet where they would be traded with the merchants for other goods which were then transported back to China.
Other Sources:
- “Brick Tea” Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts, October 1891
- The Times Ditigal Archive [subscription required]
Elaine Findlay - An expert cook, Findlay's passion for food is evidenced by the size of her kitchen and her library of old recipe books
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