Simao 2023 shu Orijin Cha Tou

Cha Tou 茶头, or “tea heads” (also referred to as nuggets, clumps, etc.), is a widely known and easily available type of dark (shu) pu-erh tea in China, which forms naturally as a result of pressure and heat acting on the bottom of tea piles during the wo dui (“wet piling”) process.

At the end of this fermentation process, the tea is sorted according to size and quality. These naturally formed clusters of leaves from the lower parts of the piles, which are relatively larger and heavier than the rest, are then easily separated. Most pu-erh producers deliberately collect them (sometimes over several years) and then sell them separately, either in loose or compressed form.

Yi Sheng Jun 益生菌: Small white specks that may occasionally appear have a probiotic effect and are a natural part of the processing.

How to prepare?

First rinse the leaves with hot water, then infuse.
temperature	ratio
100°C	1g / 25ml	all infusions in the range of minutes

Due to the varying size of the “heads” and the degree of their compression, infusion times can vary significantly even within a single batch. We therefore recommend relying more on the color of the liquor than on strict timing. The color should be medium to dark brown, see photo.