Lao Cha Tou (老茶頭)
archetype: Roots of the world
The packed roots of the world: fermented clumps of shu puer give the deepest earth and the longest tea-sitting.
History
Lao Cha Tou — 'old tea heads' — are the natural clumps that form during the fermentation of shu puer. As the wet pile ('wo dui') ferments, the master turns it every few days. Part of the leaf sticks together into dense lumps from the pectins and sugars released in fermentation — these are the 'cha tou'. They used to be discarded; in the 2000s they were reappraised: cha tou give up their flavour slowly, yield a very dense and sweet brew and hold many infusions.
The old men of Menghai say: 'wo dui' is 'the clay of god': the master places the leaf, god kneads in time. What sticks together into lumps is 'the roots of god': they go into the earth first and hold up everything else. Lao Cha Tou is 'the roots of shu': drunk when one wants a tea-sitting that has no end.
Terroir
1000–1800 m (raw material). red lateritic clay (raw material); decisive — the technology and environment of the 'wo dui'. tropics at altitude (raw material); for fermentation — controlled humidity 65–75% and temperature 35–60 °C. The standard is cha tou from the wo dui of the Menghai factory. The older the lumps (after 5+ years' ageing), the deeper and sweeter the profile.
Leaf
dry leaf: dense lumps of dark-chestnut colour, the size of a walnut; in the hand they smell of black earth and dry mushroom
warmed: the warmed lump — black earth, dry mushroom, dark wood, prune
after pour: after the rinse — black earth, mushroom, prune, warm earth
taste: dark wood, prune, dried mushrooms, warm earth, a very dense brew
finish: very long, dense; the aftertaste — 'the settling of time' in the belly
Properties
TCM: warm; warms the middle, descends qi, nourishes the kidneys, gently disperses damp
Modern: rich in fermentation products (including statins) and natural sugars; helps fat metabolism, beneficial after a heavy meal
Cha qi: dense, descending, warm; felt as 'a heavy palm on the belly'
Caffeine: low (15–30 mg)
Brewing ritual
a 150 ml clay kettle — the lumps give up their taste slowly; 100 °C; 8 g / 150 ml. 15s — the first dense sip: wood, black earth; 18s — the peak: prune, dried mushrooms; 22s — a deep warm earth; 30s — a long dense trail; 45s — a very slow echo; 70s — a late depth; 120s — the finale may be boiled — the roots do not give in.
When to drink
day and evening. autumn and winter. for long teas, when one does not count the time, after a heavy meal. dates, dried fruit, dark honey, mushrooms, dark pastry, dense meat dishes. a long tea gathering; a conversation that does not hurry the time
Tea meditation
- This tea is for long talks with oneself.
- Don't count the steeps.
- The roots of the world grow downwards — to where you also need to go.
Questions and answers
How do you brew Lao Cha Tou?
a 150 ml clay kettle — the lumps give up their taste slowly; 100 °C; 8 g / 150 ml. 15s — the first dense sip: wood, black earth; 18s — the peak: prune, dried mushrooms; 22s — a deep warm earth; 30s — a long dense trail; 45s — a very slow echo; 70s — a late depth; 120s — the finale may be boiled — the roots do not give in.
What does Lao Cha Tou taste like?
dark wood, prune, dried mushrooms, warm earth, a very dense brew
How much caffeine is in Lao Cha Tou?
low (15–30 mg)
What are the effects of Lao Cha Tou?
rich in fermentation products (including statins) and natural sugars; helps fat metabolism, beneficial after a heavy meal
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