2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Lao Cha Tou Brick" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick

Name: 2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Lao Cha Tou Brick" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick
Brand: Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh
Price: 82.5 USD
Availability: InStock

by Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh

$12.25 - $82.50

$12.25

$12.25 - $82.50

$12.25

Quantity

Cha Tou is a kind of tea nugget that forms naturally from the pressures of compression and heat that occurs during the fermentation process. Typically during fermentation process to make ripe pu-erh there is a pile of tea about 1 meter high. It is kept wet to allow the fermentation process and the pile is turned every few days to allow for an even degree of fermentation, moving the tea from the bottom of the pile (where it is hotter and wetter) to the top of the pile where it is cooler and drier. The "cha tou" are the leaves that ball up and get stuck together. The best cha tou are ones that have not been over-fermented and are smaller in size.

Lao Cha Tou brick is composed entirely of Menghai area material. Our 2012 production is a blend of 2 different "cha tou", one from 2006 and another from 2009. The fermentation levels of the 2006 batch is slightly heavier (leaves are darker), whereas the fermentation level of the 2009 batch was lighter (some lighter brown color with hints of olive in the brewed leaves). These two different cha tou together makes for a nice full mouth-feel. Smooth but with a lingering mouth-feel and cha qi. An excellent ripe tea that can be brewed 15 to 20 times.

200 kilos in total were produced.

Net Weight: 250 grams per brick

Fermentation time: 2006 and 2009

Harvest Area: Menghai County of Xishuangbanna

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 7 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["taste","caffeine","soup"].

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Reviews

Ripe pu-era teas

"The brick and the other pu-erh teas that I bought were a birthday present and the 2005 one that we had before she had to go home was very good, but I don’t know if she has tried any of the others yet. In my experience I haven’t had a ripe pu-era tea that I have disliked at all. They have all been very good. Thank you"

— Ronnie C. (5/5)

2012 Yunnan sourcing Lao Cha Tao Brick Ripe Pu-erh

"This was the Best Pu-erh I have had, it checks All the box's, Full bodied with a wonderful chocolatey flavor and richness that hasn't been surpassed so far. Will buy another Brick on October 5th when your back in office. It's pricey for me on social security, but I will squeeze out the funds for this killer Lao Cha. Hope to find another as good as this that's a little less steep in price."

— Howard H. (5/5)

Dark and smooth

"My first true introduction to Shou Puerh, and what an entrance!"

— Eiroth (5/5)

Smooth, rich and heavy caffeine hit

"Taste wise, I really like this one. It's bold yet smooth and keeps brewing up strong, steep after steep, gongfu style. It's not one I can really drink solo, though, because the caffeine in this one really hits me hard. I can drink almost any tea (other than regular black tea) right before going to bed, but drinking this at 4pm was still keeping me up at 11pm that night. No funky flavors, just good earthiness and thick dark soup."

— Yunus (5/5)

Lots of Subtle Depth Here!

"This is a blend of 2006 and 2009 cha tou, so it has 10 plus years of aging on it. The result is fantastic. It has none of the wet earth smell/taste I can enjoy but don’t have a preference for, yet it does not taste like a young ripe either. It's more subtle being smooth and soft in the mouth. The mouth-feel is noticeably long lasting and pleasant as well. A brick of this stuff is in my future."

— Hugh D. (5/5)