Steeping loose leaf tea in water has not always been the dominant method of tea preparation. Prior to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)in ancient China, the Tea Brick, compressed tea made of ground or whole tea leaves pressed into a block form using a mold was one of the most popular froms of tea produced and consumed. People also commonly used tea bricks as currency. Today, the legacy continues, as one can find a variety of compressed black, green and pur-erh and more. Originally designed for ease of transport, these pressed wonders have been hauled over the Himalayas on foot, carted to Russia on camels and hauled into Mongolia on ponies. In recent years, these rare teas have been having a resurgence in popularity, Pur-erh in particular. In China, some exceptionally rare pur-erh recently sold at auction for tens of thousand of dollars per cake. This category of tea includes Toucha, Pu-erh, Tea Bricks and Tea Hearts.