2016 Jingmai Mountain Gu Shu Lao Cha Tou Shou Pu'er

Lao Cha Tou (老茶头), or "Old Tea Nugget," is a rare and unique byproduct formed naturally during the fermentation of Ripe Pu-erh tea. During the Wo Dui (wet piling) process, semi-processed tea leaves (known as Mao Cha) are piled together, moistened, and left to ferment under carefully controlled temperature and humidity. As the tea pile heats up, natural pectin from the tea leaves is released, causing the leaves to stick together and form dense, irregular clumps. These tea nuggets become even more tightly bound as the beneficial mycelium proteins generated during fermentation encourage further cohesion.

Due to the intense pressure from the surrounding tea mass, these nuggets cannot be easily broken apart. While most of the fermented tea leaves are separated and processed into loose Ripe Pu-erh, the tightly bound clusters are carefully sorted out and retained. Only 1-1.5% of the total tea mass ends up forming these prized nuggets (eg. 1-1.5kg from a 100kg pile), making Lao Cha Tou a truly limited and precious product. The clumps that survive the rigorous sorting, steaming, and sifting processes are aged over time, developing a unique character that sets them apart from traditional loose-leaf Ripe Pu-erh. Lao Cha Tou’s rarity and the natural way it forms make it a special choice for tea enthusiasts.

Our 2016 Jingmai Mountain GuShu Lao Cha Tou is made from tea leaves harvested in the spring of 2016 from ancient tea trees over 100 years old (known as Gu Shu), thriving at an elevation of about 1500 meters on Jingmai Mountain. Jingmai, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2023, is celebrated for its lush, ancient tea forests, lovingly cultivated by the Bulang and Dai peoples for over a millennium. This tea underwent traditional fermentation in Menghai in 2016 and has been meticulously stored there ever since, developing a rich, smooth, and mellow profile.