2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Cha Tou Sheng Yun" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick

Thank you very much, derk!  I wanted a dark puerh a couple days ago, so here we go.  Just what I wanted!  I wasn’t sure if I should go with two teaspoons here, but what the heck, I love the deepest darkest puerh.  The puerh looks like nuggets but the description says “brick” so that is odd.  They are VERY slow to unravel like they look like big oolong pieces.  I think I have only had a “nugget” type of puerh once before but they looked much smaller than this.  The flavor is perfect and smooth.  And because they are slowly unraveling the steeps can keep going and going.  The steeps were ridiculously consistent – especially if these nuggets held almost the same shape the entire session. But breaking them apart with my fingers, they aren’t really nuggets at all, and should have really expanded into those smaller leaves.  To really look like that PUERH DIRT I love.  Very odd.  This never really happened with another puerh for me before.  So looking at the description, it does call them “nuggets”. " The “cha tou” are the leaves that ball up and get stuck together" during crazy compression using a hydraulic press and can be steeped 20 times!  So that explains it.  Not really any distinct unique flavors, just a very tasty ripe.  I do love the variety of flavors derk noticed! Derk mentioned vanilla cola which is probably why I wanted to try this. Sadly, no vanilla cola for me here. And it seems to have mellowed out a ton since Togo’s tasting note. (Togo, I would love read how this is aging for you!) Not distinct enough for me to be a favorite, but I’m glad I used two teaspoons.
Steep#1 // 2 teaspoons for full mug// 26 minutes after boiling // rinse //  2 minute steep
Steep#2 // 10 min after boiling //  2-3 min
Steep#3 // 10 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep#4 // 3 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep#5 // just boiled // 15 min
2021 sipdowns: 40 (This + Teavivre – High Mountain oolong)

Oof, yesterday. I tried to keep my spirits up but I was beaten down. Searching my aresenal for comfort, I tried letting the F-bombs fly in a phone call with a friend, music, a nap (sleep never came), a disgusting amount of pizza, half a 22oz bottle of double IPA. Nothing worked. Bring in the shou — a freebie from Yunnan Sourcing.

First time with cha tou, or ripe puerh tea nuggets, or what’s left at the bottom of the fermentation pile, or trickle down tea.

Dry leaf smells nice — malty, damp sweet earth, vanilla cola. Some camphor comes out when warmed, baked bread, cola impression. Long rinse (because tea mountain dregs) yields baked bread, forest floor, camphor, almond.

I used only 8g in a 190mL pot expecting a beast of tea. The tea is warm and spicy, earthy and oxalic acid tart, Togo mentions sorrel. Rather light flavors of forest floor, baked bread, nutritional yeast, camphor. It’s drying early and catches strongly in the throat. Later it’s dusty, nutty and woody cedar. Light bodied no matter how much I push it.

Overall, it was an okay first foray into cha tou. I was expecting something a bit heavier with fuller flavors and bigger body. I’m not sure why. I wonder if more years of storage will smooth out the prominent sourness. In its current state, nothing about it makes me want to recommend it to others. However, it did bring some comfort. Hail Tea.

Now if I can embrace what made me so happy earlier this week, everything will work out.

This is the first Cha Tou I have ever had. When dry it smells very dusty, after the rinse I get a nutty aroma similar to Nutella with a hint of dried fruits. The liquor colour dark brown with an orange undertone, a bit like yixing clay.

The taste is surprisingly subtle and balanced. The notes that come to the fore at certain times are bitter, earthy and sour. There are flavours of coffee, oats, caramel, aluminum. In the finish and aftertaste, I also notice additional notes of sorrel and sugar. The mouthfeel is great. In the initial steeps it’s mostly milky, coating and very heavy. Later on the liquor becomes increasingly mouth-watering, active and foamy.