The two most troublesome things about brewing tea: weighing and moisture.
Anyone who loves tea has probably encountered these two problems.
The first is "quantity." Loose leaf tea doesn't have a fixed shape, so each time you brew, you have to grab a small pinch by feel. Too much makes it too strong and bitter, too little makes the tea light and flavorless. To brew consistently, you need a tea scoop and an electronic scale. The step of "weighing the tea leaves" alone is enough to deter many people from drinking tea daily.
The second is "freshness." Loose leaf tea has a large surface area. Once the canister is opened and used a few times, the tea leaves start to contact air and absorb moisture. If stored in the kitchen or office, where humidity is slightly higher, the tea's aroma will gradually dissipate, and it might even develop a stale or off-flavor. Many people buy a large can of tea, but by the time they reach the end, it no longer tastes like it did when first opened.
Tea bricks exist to solve these two problems.
The principle of tea bricks: pressing "one serving" into a single piece.
Tea bricks are made by tightly pressing tea leaves into blocks of a fixed weight, usually with one brick being a complete single serving. The biggest difference from loose leaf tea is that you don't need to weigh or measure; you can just drop one tea brick directly into a teapot or teacup to brew.
This might sound like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference when actually brewing tea:
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Fixed quantity: Each tea brick has a consistent weight, meaning each brew will have a similar strength, avoiding inconsistencies from varying measurements (e.g., strong today, weak tomorrow).
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No extra tools required: No need for tea scoops or scales, allowing for consistent brewing quality even when traveling, at the office, or on a trip.
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Easy to store and distribute: Each piece is individually packed, making it more convenient for gifting or sharing samples with friends than a large bag of loose tea.
Why does pressing tea into bricks improve freshness?
This is a common question for many people encountering tea bricks for the first time – shouldn't tea leaves maintain their complete shape and avoid breakage?
The answer lies in the difference in "surface area" and "sealing method."
Even if loose leaf tea is not broken, there are still many gaps between the leaves, creating a large surface area exposed to air. Aroma molecules can easily dissipate with each opening, and moisture can seep in through these gaps. Tea bricks, through the pressing process, have significantly compressed spaces between the leaves, resulting in a tighter overall structure. The aroma is locked inside the tea brick, making it less likely to dissipate during storage.
Furthermore, most tea bricks are individually packaged, so you only open one at a time to brew. The remaining unopened tea bricks have no contact with air. Compared to a large can of loose tea where "the entire can oxidizes with each opening," tea bricks are "opened one by one as consumed," ensuring that the unused portions remain in their initial fresh state.
Three Taiwanese Flavors, Classic Teas All in One Place
Leaflow's Taiwan-shaped tea bricks come from Pinglin, New Taipei City – a mountain town where five generations have made tea. We have pressed three types of tea that best represent Taiwan's characteristics into the shape of the island of Taiwan:
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Baozhong Oolong: A local specialty of Pinglin, with a light floral aroma and refreshing taste. It is the most representative tea of Pinglin's terroir.
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Honey-scented Black Tea: Features natural honey and fruity aromas with a mellow taste, suitable for those who prefer a smooth tea.
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Oriental Beauty: Fermented after being bitten by small green leafhoppers, it has a rich, complex honey aroma and is one of the most distinctive Taiwanese teas.
Each tea brick is a complete single serving, and also a miniature representation of Taiwan—it's tea, and it's also Taiwan that can be sent abroad.
How to brew? Even without brewing experience, you can get started.
The biggest significance of tea bricks is that they simplify the process of "how to brew tea":
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Take one tea brick and place it directly into a teapot, mug, or heat-resistant glass cup.
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Pour in 90–95°C hot water (no need for a precise thermometer, just near boiling).
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Steep for 2–3 minutes, allowing the tea brick to naturally unfurl.
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Filter out the tea leaves and serve; the same tea brick can be re-steeped 2–3 times.
No need to weigh or prepare additional tea scoops, which is why tea bricks are particularly suitable for offices, travel, and gifts—recipients don't need to be tea connoisseurs to brew a consistently good cup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are tea bricks the same as tea bags? No, they are not. Tea leaves in tea bags are usually more broken to speed up brewing; tea bricks, however, retain the original integrity of the tea leaves, simply compressed to fix the quantity. The layers of flavor and aroma from tea bricks are usually closer to that of directly brewed loose leaf tea than typical tea bags.
Q: Do tea bricks go bad over time? As long as each brick remains individually sealed and protected from moisture, tea bricks have a higher storage stability than opened loose leaf tea. It is recommended to store them in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and high temperatures.
Q: How many times can one tea brick be brewed? This depends on the type of tea and individual preference for strength. Generally, it can be re-steeped 2–3 times, after which the inherent layers of flavor in the tea will gradually diminish.
Q: Are they suitable for gifts? Tea bricks are shaped like the island of Taiwan, and because each piece is a single serving that can be brewed without instructions, they have become very popular as souvenirs and wedding favors in recent years.
If you often let that good tea at home expire because you're "too lazy to weigh the tea leaves," perhaps you should try tea bricks—making brewing tea a simple matter again.
