T8653 and the Xiaguan Iron Cake: The Story of 8653

Among Xiaguan Tea Factory's products, 8653 is where many people start getting to know Xiaguan's raw cakes, and T8653, with a T in front, is what tea drinkers call the "Xiaguan iron cake," as hard as an iron plate.

What Is 8653?

By the usual reading of recipe codes:

Overseas tea merchants also explain that 8653 is a classic recipe Xiaguan developed in 1986 and has produced for many years since. It's a raw tea, with a standard size of 357 grams per cake. Xiaguan also has an 8663 from the same period, with a third digit of 6 and slightly coarser material.

Like other codes, 8653 is a recipe code, not a production year. For reading recipe codes, see 7542, 8582, 7572: The Stories Behind Pu'er's Classic Recipes; Xiaguan Tea Factory itself is covered in Xiaguan Tea Factory: Tuocha and Iron Cakes.

What Does the T in T8653 Mean?

T stands for "tie" (iron), meaning the tea is an iron cake. Merchants put it simply: with the same recipe, 8653 without a T is an ordinary round cake, while T8653 is an iron cake pressed in a metal mold. Putting a letter before the recipe code to indicate the pressing method is common on Xiaguan products; T8663, for example, is the iron cake version of 8663.

What Makes Xiaguan Iron Cakes Distinctive

Shape. Iron cakes are pressed in metal molds under high pressure, so the finished cake is flat with neat edges like a big coin, and there's no dimple on the back as with ordinary cakes. The iron cake format is covered fully in Iron Cakes: Tightly Pressed Cakes Without a Dimple.

Density. The leaves are pressed extremely tight, so prying takes effort and can easily produce broken bits. Use a tea needle rather than a tea knife and peel layer by layer from the edge; see How to Open a Pu'er Cake.

Slow, steady aging. Tightly pressed tea has less contact with air, so it changes more slowly and steadily in storage than ordinary round cakes; tea drinkers often say an iron cake needs a few more years before it "opens up." An overseas merchant describing a 2001 8653 iron cake stored dry in Kunming said it had an aged quality but still kept Xiaguan's forceful flavor.

Long-lasting. In the first few infusions the leaves haven't fully loosened, so flavor comes out slowly; it hits its stride from the middle infusions on and lasts for many infusions.

The effects of pressing method and compression are covered in Pressing Pu'er: Steaming, Stone Molds, Machine Presses, and Compression.

Is 8653 Smoky?

"Xiaguan tea is smoky" is something you hear often in the tea world, and 8653 is frequently mentioned.

• The common explanation: some of the maocha Xiaguan bought in the early days was exposed to wood smoke during drying or absorbed smoke while being dried, and once pressed into cakes it carried a smoky aroma.
• What tea drinkers observe: smokiness varies a lot between years and batches. Some batches have only a light smoky note that blends with the sweetness, while others are more pronounced. Overseas merchants' tasting notes also mention that some 8653 has a touch of Xiaguan smoke along with sweetness.
• The recent trend: the tea world generally agrees that recent Xiaguan products are less smoky than earlier ones, though it still varies by batch.

Smoke is one of the aromas that slowly fades with storage, and many fans of older Xiaguan actually love the aged aroma it turns into. For the sun-drying requirement in pu'er processing, read Sun-Dried, Oven-Dried, Pan-Fired: Why Pu'er Has to Be Sun-Dried.

How to Brew T8653

1. Prying: pry from the edge with a tea needle, taking 6–7 grams at a time, in small pieces as far as possible rather than crumbling it.
2. Rinse: rinse once or twice at 95–100°C to loosen the pieces and let some of the smoke dissipate.
3. Gaiwan: 110 ml, 8–10 seconds for the first few infusions, then shorten once the pieces open so bitterness and astringency don't rush out.
4. Younger vintages: you can lower the water to 90–95°C and pour off a bit faster.

For controlling bitterness and astringency in young raw tea, see How to Brew Young Raw Pu'er.

8653 and Xiaguan's Other Raw Teas

Xiaguan's classic tuocha are covered in V93 and Xiaguan's Classic Tuocha.

FAQ

Are T8653 and 8653 the same tea? Same recipe, different pressing: T8653 is an iron cake pressed in a metal mold, and 8653 is an ordinary round cake.

What does the "3" in 8653 mean? The fourth digit, 3, is Xiaguan Tea Factory's code.

Why are Xiaguan iron cakes so hard to pry? Metal molds apply high pressure and pack the leaves extremely tight. Peeling slowly from the edge with a tea needle makes it easier.

Is 8653 always smoky? Not necessarily. Smokiness varies by year and batch, and recent batches are generally lighter than earlier ones.