During fermentation, some leaves clump into dense “old tea heads.” DaYi presses these nuggets into Lao Cha Tou bricks — naturally sweeter, extra thick, and wonderful with age. This is the 2021 first batch.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2021 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 250g brick · fermented tea heads · Menghai Tea Factory · 1st batch
- Compression & dry leaf: The tea comes as a 250g brick. The leaf itself shows some stems and an even, dark fermentation.
- Liquor: Expect a deep-red cup.
- Taste: The middle steeps bring out hints of caramel, with a sweet and smooth taste. New details keep appearing in the later steeps.
- Mouthfeel & body: In the mouth it feels thick and smooth.
- Aftertaste: The finish is typically clean and softly sweet.
- Best for: everyday drinking without fuss. Suitable for novices as well as regular ripe puerh drinkers.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Steps:
- Add tea (about 5g per 100ml).
- Rinse twice: cover the leaves with boiling water for about 5 seconds, then discard. Put the lid on and let the leaves rest for about 10 minutes to open up.
- Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
- Pour into a sharing pitcher.
- Serve. Ripe puerh resteeps well for many rounds.
- Treat these as starting points rather than fixed rules. Try high or low pours, fast or slow, and brew in different seasons to find the method that suits you. Brewing the same tea well in any year, season, weather or place takes practice, and that skill is the real goal.
Storage
Keep the cake ventilated, cool and dry, away from sunlight and strong odors (kitchen spices, smoke). For long-term aging, paper or clay containers breathe better than sealed plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
