Liu Bao六堡

Liu Bao is a guangxi-dark pu-erh & dark tea from Wuzhou, Guangxi, China. Brew it at 100°C with 6g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 10 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Liu Bao is what shou would taste like if it had another hundred years to settle. Same pile-fermentation idea, but the Guangxi basket-aging (cang wei) pulls it somewhere else entirely. Rinse twice — this tea has been sitting in a warehouse for years and the first pour will be dusty. What comes after is what you're here for: in a young Liu Bao, clean wet wood, soft earth, a mineral undertow that reads almost like pond stone in a good way. Age it 15 years and the famous betel nut aroma starts to show — warm, dry, slightly camphorous, vaguely like toasted almond skins and old cedar together. Good aged Liu Bao is silky in the mouth, never muddy, with a long cooling finish in the throat. Use a dedicated Yixing pot if you have one; the unglazed clay rounds the already-mellow profile. Unlike shou it doesn't hit you over the head — it just keeps layering. Patience tea.

Flavor profile

Predates shou pu-erh by centuries and shares the pile-fermentation technique but develops a distinctly different character with age. The prized 'betel nut aroma' — a complex, warming, slightly sweet and spicy scent — emerges from decades of slow warehouse aging. Young Liu Bao is smooth and woody; aged examples become silky with medicinal depth and a clean mineral finish.

Terroir

Humid subtropical, abundant rainfall, dense forests, mineral-rich soil

Brewing

Rinse: Rinse twice — first quick, second 10 seconds. Aged Liu Bao benefits from thorough rinsing.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 10 seconds
3. Steep 2: 15 seconds
4. Steep 3: 20 seconds
5. Steep 4: 25 seconds
6. Steep 5: 30 seconds
7. Steep 6: 40 seconds
8. Steep 7: 50 seconds
9. Steep 8: 60 seconds
10. Steep 9: 80 seconds
11. Steep 10: 120 seconds

Use Yixing clay or thick ceramic for heat retention. Vintage Liu Bao (20+ years) is best brewed with a dedicated pot that builds up flavor over time.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• kill-green
• rolled
• pile-fermented (wo dui)
• double-steamed
• basket-aged (cang wei)

Sources

• https://meileaf.com/tea/liu-bao-70/
• https://meileaf.com/tea/liu-bao-2019/
• https://meileaf.com/tea/liu-bao-1988/
• https://orientaleaf.com/blogs/tea-101/liu-bao-tea-ultimate-guide
• https://chineseteaalliance.com/blogs/tea-magazine/liu-bao-tea-101-hidden-treasure-waiting-to-be-discovered