Some precious ancient tea blocks will be auctioned Thursday in Guangzhou, the hometown of one of their late owners ¡ª Xu Guangping, wife of the famous Chinese writer Lu Xun.
The square cakes of Pu¡¯er tea, four cubic centimeters in bulk and three grams in weight, were made in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in a way similar to manufacturing instant coffee nowadays, the Yangcheng Evening News said.
The tea, which originated in a town called Pu¡¯er in Southwest China¡¯s Yunnan Province, has long been treasured as a tea of tribute to the imperial court as well as a richly flavored, healthy beverage. It is claimed the tea can help remove toxins, cleanse the body and even reduce body fat.
Chen Jinyuan, a tea master in Guangzhou, tried two grams of the tea block and found it reduced to several tiny grains smaller than sesame seeds after seven infusions. He said vital energy seemed to be moving around inside his body shortly after drinking the tea.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/02/content_1294604.htm