Smooth, viscous and oily indulgence. Lao Cha Tou brick from Bulang with a rich taste and floaty body high. Guinness cake, autumn forests, dried cherries, and lots of purple flowers.
Lao Cha Tou (Old Tea Heads) are the prized nugs picked off the fermentation pile when making ripe PuErh.
These leaves have extra pectin and sugars which, under the weight of the pile) create sticky and sweet, pressed nuggets.
These denser tea nugs also tend to have more mycelium activity further binding the leaves together.
Lao Cha Tou therefore tend to have a deeper ferment and produce teas which are smooth and oily with the extra funk of heavier fermentation.
They also tend to offer the most long-lasting and expansive tea sessions which go on well past 20 infusions.
Glee Glider is made of a 2016 batch of Lao Cha Tou from 60-100 year old trees grwoing around Bulang.
We loved these Bulang nugs and decided to amp the richness further by steaming them and pressing intio these 250g bricks - the extra steam and compression has given the tea another burst of fermentation.
On the nose you are hit with chocolate, malt, molasses and autumn forests. It is all wonderfully dark and brooding with sweet warmth.
But the transformation that happens when the leaves cool adds to Glee Glider's unique character.
The bassy warmth soears into heady, sweet and cooling florality - iris, lilac and violets.
There are also dried fruits, dessert wines and sweet spices to bridge the gap between the low and warm with the bright and cooloing.
As you would expect from a Lao Cha Tou, the mouthfeel is oily, viscous and velvety. This moves to a finish which is gentle in dryness but overflowing is sweet, cooling salivation.
The taste continues the full spectrum theme - chocolate and creams move to sweet cola spices and dried fruits and ends with this misty dawn freshness and thick iris florals.
The body sensation is similarly expansive - on the one hand Glee Glider is a potent digestif - settling gurgles and cleansing sensations perfect for after a meal.
But the Glee Glider then makes you soar with a bright, rising high energy.
A delight for all of the senses exhibiting all of the hallmarks of a top-shelf ripe PuErh.
