2014 Menghai Lao Cha Tou Brick * Ripe Pu-erh Tea

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.

Menghai tea factory's "Lao Cha Tou" (lit. old tea nugget) has been produced every year since 2006, and is composed of 2 and 3 year old "cha tou".

As with all Cha Tou, we recommend grandpa brewing style. For example: Use 10-12 grams for a 500ml flask. You can also simmer it in a saucepan. Gong fu style brewing is insufficient to bring out the bolder flavors. 

Batch 1401
Tea Weight: 100 grams