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1
Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes at a steady boil. The yolk must be fully firm — a soft or gel yolk will not withstand the long simmering broth.
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2
Lift the eggs from the water while still hot. Working with one egg at a time, roll it firmly on a hard surface or tap the shell all over with the back of a spoon. The goal is a dense network of fine cracks across the entire shell surface, with no section of shell removed. Inspect by sight: every part of the surface should show a visible craze of fractures. This is where the dish lives or dies — too few cracks and the broth cannot penetrate; shell pieces lifted away entirely will cause the white to toughen and discolour unevenly.
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3
Combine the water, tea, dark and light soy sauces, star anise, cassia, Sichuan pepper, rock sugar, and dried chilli (if using) in a saucepan large enough to hold all the eggs submerged. Bring to a gentle simmer. The liquid should smell of smoke, anise, and roasted spice — sharp and aromatic before the eggs enter.
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4
Lower the cracked-shell eggs into the broth. Simmer gently for 1 hour. The liquid should maintain a quiet, low simmer throughout — a rolling boil will toughen the white. At the end of the hour the broth will have deepened in colour to a dark mahogany.
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5
Turn off the heat. Leave the eggs undisturbed in the broth for a further 1 hour. For a more deeply coloured and flavoured result, transfer the eggs and broth to the refrigerator and leave overnight. To judge readiness: peel one egg and examine the white. Pale brown tracery indicates a 2-hour infusion; deep, dark brown lines penetrating well into the white indicate an overnight steep.
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6
Peel the eggs just before serving. The white should show a distinct marbled network of brown lines where the broth has penetrated the cracks. Taste: the flavour of the white should carry tea, soy, and the warm fragrance of cassia and star anise, with a faint heat from the Sichuan pepper.