Liu Bao
🇨🇳 China

Liu Bao

Liù Bǎo · 六堡

liubao · loose

Liu Bao is the signature dark tea (heicha) of Guangxi province, produced in Wuzhou City and named after the historical Liubao Township in Cangwu County. Like pu-erh, it is a microbially post-fermented tea — kill-green and first rolling, then heaping and moist fermentation, then second rolling and drying, followed by wet-piling and long aging. Records of Liu Bao consumption go back over 1,500 years; it was historically traded along routes from Guangxi to Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and the Chinese diaspora communities of Malaysia and Singapore. Aged Liu Bao is prized for a distinctive "betel-nut aroma" (binglang xiang).

Quick facts

Origin
China
Region
Wuzhou
Harvest year
2018
Harvest season
spring
Shape
loose

Brewing

Leaf
5.0 g / 100 ml
Water
100°C
Rinse
yes
Gongfu steeps (s)
10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120

Fully-boiling water; rinse twice for older leaf to wake the aged storage flavour. Yixing or other thick-walled clay holds heat best.

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Tasting notes

Aroma
betel nut, aged wood, light camphor
Flavor
smooth, sweet, woody, mineral
Mouthfeel
thick, oily
Finish
warming, long

Aging potential

Like pu-erh, Liu Bao continues to develop for decades under stable storage. Well-aged 1980s–1990s leaf shows the most pronounced betel-nut aromatic.

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