2026 Yunnan Sourcing "Horse 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.

Our "Horse Lao Cha Tou Brick" is composed of teas from Meng Song, and Xin Bang Zhang (Bu Lang). Smooth, bitter and sweet with a lingering dark chocolate taste. An excellent ripe tea that can be brewed many times and still retain an engaging flavor!

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. 

137 kilos in total were produced.

Net Weight: 250 grams per brick

Design Illustration by Chengyi Lee

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 404 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 404 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 404 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.