2018 Jingmai "Lao Cha Tou" Shou Puerh Tea with Jianshui Zitao Storage Jar :: FREE SHIPPING

Lao Cha Tou is a special shou puerh that is sure to please. During the wodui process to make shou puerh the heat and intense weight of the wet pile fermentation creates a perfect environment at the bottom to make 'Lao Cha Tou'. In Chinese 'Lao Cha Tou' (老茶头) means  'Old Tea Head', where head refers to a boss or chief. Every wodui pile creates Lao Cha Tou, but not all are created equal. We have had many that were merely sub par experiences. We are very selective with the Lao Cha Tou we choose. This material came from a special Jingmai production.

This Lao Cha Tou brews up a little different than our Bulang variety. These are very creamy and smooth. It doesn't brew thick but the flavors are smooth and clear, with simple, earthy/foresty notes. Aromas are Chinese medicine mixed with split peas and roasted potato. This tea swallows easy with a nice throat feel. There is a vibrancy after a few steeps that feels like you're sipping on a freshly carbonated cola. There is a warming energy that relaxes you. You can steep these long, or boil them til they're motor oil. They always brew smooth and mellow and delicious. They will seemingly steep forever!

The Lao Cha Tou come in a lot of different sizes. In the tea markets in Yunnan they are sold by size. The larger they are the more expensive they are. We have chosen to include a range of sizes for your drinking pleasure. Some of the bigger chunks can be an entire session all on their own.

We had some special storage jars made just for this awesome material. They're custom made in Jianshui for us. Storing tea in these jars is advantageous to most other methods. The jars provide a micro climate that is resilient to humidity shifts. You can continue to store tea in these jars for many years. After the tea is gone you can continue to store other teas.

Since these jars are handmade products each are unique. There are slight variations to each. Yours will vary slightly from the pictures. They may be a little bit taller or wider than measured. These jars measure on average 8cm total width and are about 9.5cm tall. Each jar comes with 100g of Lao Cha Tou. If it won't all fit we'll include it separately.

You can buy the material loose, without a jar, here.

Use 5-10 grams of nugs and brew with 75-150ml ( 2.5-5oz ) of water at or near boiling. Be sure tor rinse this material twice for a few seconds each. Start with quick steeps under 10s. With each re-steep adjust the steep time to your taste.