DATE DRIFT | Bamboo "Little Tea Heads" (Cooked)

A super rich, syrupy pu er with notes of Turkish dates, red jujube and brown sugar.

This tea was pressed, steamed and dried in bamboo, imparting a silky smooth nature to the leaves.  Please note that every piece of bamboo has a different diameter; empirically, we estimate that each piece may contain +/- 5% of the declared content of 300g.

What is Xiao Cha Tou ("Little Tea Heads")?

If you love cooked pu er, you must try Xiao Cha Tou (小茶头)!  These are dense little  nuggets that are formed during wet-piling fermentation. In this process, some leaves naturally knit together into small clusters; those compact pieces are later sorted out and appreciated on their own for the way they brew.

Rather than behaving like a loose ripe pu err from the first pour, Xiao Cha Tou tends to open gradually, releasing a darker, thicker liquor with a rounded texture and a calm, steady sweetness. They tea have gained cult following in some circles because the compressed nuggets undergo a unique micro-fermentation environment; their interior of
traps moisture and ferments anaerobically, producing distinctive dried-fruit and jujube
aromas not found in standard cooked pu er.

Tea heads are fairly rare, accounting for only 0.8-1.5% of total production!

Origin:   Huazhu Liangzi (Yunnan)

Production:  2024 (using 2023 leaves)

Brewing recommendation:  8g tea / 110g water, 15", >15 steeps

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References: 

1. Fan Xiuli and Gao Feng - in person tea class.
2. 地理标志产品 普洱茶 / Product of Geographical Indication - Pu’er Tea; Standardization Administration of China platform; 2008 standard, status page updated 2025. https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbDetailed?id=71F772D77589D3A7E05397BE0A0AB82A
3. 从“渥堆”认识普洱熟茶; 云南网 (Yunnan.cn); 8 May 2021. https://txpe.yunnan.cn/system/2021/05/08/031437086.shtml 
4. 【茶与健康】老茶头; 上海中医药大学博物馆 (Museum, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine); 5 November 2025. https://bwg.shutcm.edu.cn/2025/1105/c889a169907/page.htm 
5. 云南大叶种茶树叶有多大？; 中国科普博览 (kepu.gov.cn); 9 May 2021. https://www.kepu.gov.cn/expert/tongyun/2021-05/09/content_1740268.html 
6. Pile-fermentation mechanism of ripened Pu-erh tea: Omics approach for quality formation and targeted directional regulation; 2024. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224424000554

This video was made a few years ago for a 2015 vintage of 'tea heads' by Fan & Gao.

Tea Authors:

Fan Xiuli and Gao Feng are featured often in our newsletters. They are Manchu people from Liaoning who moved to Yunnan because they love tea; it is also a most beautiful place to live and raise a family. Not only do they create some of O5’s favourite teas; they are also very well versed in painting, calligraphy, incense appreciation, ceramics, and culinary arts.