Puer Shu (cooked) Organic Ancient Tree Lao Cha Tou Tea 50g

The leaves of Ancient Tree Lao Cha Tou Organic Puer Shu (cooked) Tea are hand-picked from April to September. It is a fully fermented, semi-pressed tea: during the fermentation process, some tea leaves are naturally pressed into a hard block, called Lao Cha Tou.

The liquor, between orange and ruby, gives sweet and delicate flavors. The taste is very smooth and silky, some say more than puer Ancient Tree loose-leaf tea, with good persistence.

Tasting – Sight and smell

The leaves of Ancient Tree Lao Cha Tou Organic Puer Shu tea come in a very compact block with an opaque surface: they are large in size and various shades of brown, ranging from darker shades of brown to brown with coppery undertones. Once infused, the leaves give off aromas of wet wood, leather and musk, as well as mild smoky notes that reveal a pleasant empyreumatic profile. The liquor is deep amber in the first infusions to darken to a deep orange-red in the last infusions; peculiar for a puer shu are its transparency and incredible brightness in the cup.

Tasting Notes

The first infusion of Ancient Tree Lao Cha Tou Organic Puer Shu tea is delicate and aromatic, with notes of barrel wood, leather, and whiskey. With subsequent infusions, the range of flavors expands: moist earthy notes, vaguely peaty hints and hints of licorice wood can be perceived on the palate, all connoted by an intense sweetness. With the last brews, notes of must and honey are added, as well as flavors of underbrush and burnt wood on the finish. The body is relatively light and drinkable, soft on the palate. The persistence is medium and sweet, with hints of licorice and moist earth. No astringency or bitterness.

Place of origin

Yunnan, China

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing Ancient Tree Lao Cha Tou Organic Puer Shu tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 3 grams of leaves can be used in a gaiwan of about 150 ml to make several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in 95°C water, an initial 30-second infusion can be made, and, keeping the water at the same temperature, further infusions can be made with the same leaves by simply increasing the time by 10 seconds each time (30-40-50…).

This tea has a longevity of about 8 infusions.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3-5 grams of leaves in a 200-mL cup with 95°C water for a 3-minute infusion time.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.