As its name implies, this is a brick made from Chinese tea leaves. These were originally manufactured to help reduce costs when transporting tea along the Silk Route. This brick contains 1100 grams of tea leaves and yet takes up very little room. A kilo bag of loose leave takes up considerable space, so if you are packing a donkey or a camel then the less space the more weight you can load. The tea would have been taken to the courts of Russia where tea drinking was becoming a fashionable beverage. These beautiful bricks are mainly used for decorative purposes although the tea is of good quality and would make for a lovely cuppa. I would use boiling water, 100oC and steep for three to four minutes.
