2017 Da Xue Shan Iron Cake - Xiaguan Raw FT Iron Tea Cake 357g

What Is An Iron Tea Cake?

As this collector’s tea cake is generally purchased for long-term storage, it’s pressed in an ‘iron cake’ instead of a regular cake shape. Iron cakes are compressed tighter so that they’re more convenient to store and get less easily damaged. Moreover, the tightness locks in the aroma for an even higher quality aging.

Unlike the ordinary tea cakes, this iron tea cake is not kneaded in a cloth bag. At first, the maocha (loose tea) is put into a steamer to gently soften the leaves. After steaming, a special metal mold is directly pressed into the steamer to compress the leaves in iron cakes.

There are many holes at the bottom of the steamer, each 5-6 mm wide. Due to the strong pressing, short studs will be formed on the back of the cake as a unique sign of the iron tea cake. In addition, the edges of the iron cakes are more defined compared to the normal tea cakes.

Da Xue Shan Ancient Tea Region

The wild ancient tea region in Da Xue Shan Mountains is the largest and most dense tea region found in the world. Located in the middle of the Da Xue Shan Mountains in Shuangjiang County, Yunnan Province, China, the area is far away from pollution and surrounded by warm and humid clouds all year round, which is ideal for large-leaf tea trees to thrive.

This product uses Spring leaves selected from 100-year-old tea trees in Da Xue Shan. The tea leaves are thicker and bigger in shape. The tea liquor is golden in color with a full-bodied taste. And its wild and orchid-scented aroma would hit the upper part of the mouth with a long-lasting aftertaste.

While there’s a lot of fake Da Xue Shan teas in the market, you can rely on us and the Xiaguan brand to be assured of an authentic product.

FT Mark - Collector's Edition

The FT mark stands for Fei Tai Tea Company which is the general distributor of Xia Guan Tea Group in Taiwan. The FT mark is recognized for its high-quality standards, stricter selection of tea leaves. While it’s lesser known in the West, it’s well appreciated among tea connoisseurs in China. Since this iron tea cake belongs to one of FT’s collector editions, it’s a rare product only made in low quantities. The older this product gets, the harder it will be to acquire such a cake these days at a reasonable price!