Tea Review: 2009 Cha Tou

2009 Cha Tou (Ripe)
Alan Laszuk Private Reserve

Type: Puerh

Origin: China, Yunnan Province

Product Description:  Cha Tou is a tea nugget that forms naturally from the pressures of compression accompanied by heat during the fermentation (ripe) process.  When making or fermenting ripe puer there is a pile formed approximately 3'/1m tall.  The tea in the pile is kept wet and like a compost pile is turned every couple of days to facilitate even heating from the top of the pile (cooler/drier) to the bottom of the pile (hotter/wetter) moving the tea and checking the temperatures.  The cha tou are tea leaves that gather or clump together into nugget like pieces.  The very best cha tou are the ones that are not over-fermented and relatively small in size.  

Temperature: 202° F

Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of salty nori and rich broth or bouillon.

The infusion is red-brown with a sweet, earthy aroma and a savory, earthy, mineral taste.

There wasn't a notable change in strength of taste and aroma through three infusions.  I would expect to get several more with satisfying results.

This was tea was provided as part of a workshop.