Pu'er bing

A 350gm 17-cm diameter bing of Pu'er tea pressed in 2009, from the Pure Pe'er tea estate, Jingmaishan, Yunnan, China. This disc shape is traditionally formed by pressing the freshly pocessed tea, wrapped in a cloth bag, between two stones with a shallow circular depression. The knot tied in the cloth bag gives the central indentation on the reverse side. An identifying ticket, or nei fei, is placed among the leaves and pressed into the bing. The texture of the cloth can be seen in close-up.