When pu-erh tea is sold wholesale, we call the specific packages by the term tong. In this form, the teas are wrapped in bamboo shoot husks, bamboo stems, or coarse paper.
One package may contain different numbers of bǐngchá (literally „tea biscuit“ or „tea cake“). This term is used to describe a piece of pressed tea weighing around 375 grams.
There are usually five, seven or ten pieces of tea.
Twelve pieces of tong are referred to by the term jiàn. However, the number of tong that can be so named may vary from producer to producer.
The jiàn packet is then labelled with a note containing important information such as the batch of tea in season, the quantity produced, the type of tea and the factory where it was produced.