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LOT 031 version left, in all photos |
I'm reviewing two versions of Liu Bao tea, one sent by the Legend of Tea vendor (the main one I'm reviewing), and another from a friend in Malaysia, maybe in 2019 or so. I may have never reviewed that other version here; that's strange. In this post I reviewed some other Liu Bao he sent earlier, in 2017, but I think this was from about two years later.
It took some doing figuring out what this version is, because it's labeled in Chinese, and the site doesn't make mapping that back easy. At first I thought it was this, but it's not:
Hilltown Aged Liu Bao (2011 product, $2.31 for 10 grams or 74.34 for 450 grams)
Drinking Pu'er and Liu Bao tea is a time-honoured Nanyang Chinese tradition that continues to this day. From the tin mining era, miners have been drinking Liu Bao tea as their daily health elixir. Renowned for four unique qualities "red, rich, aged and mellow", Liu Bao tea had won hearts of those who have tasted its charm.
Hilltown Aged Liu Bao tea leaves are fine and tight in appearance, with a glossy hue of blackish brown. Upon steeping, its liquor is a lustrous deep red, pleasantly mellow and sweet, with a well balanced aroma. The enchanting tea essence lingers long after each sip, and the smooth and enduring mouthfeel makes it a delightful companion for multiple steepings.
Then it seemed like possibly something from this sample set, and it is one of those teas. The vendor helped fill in that it's really this:
Chun Xiang 031 Liu Bao 10G | 100G | 250G | 1KG ($65 for 250 grams, available as a 10 gram sample for $4.16)
Lovingly matured for 19 years, this tea has mellowed out with a rich and velvety profile. A true testament of its age, its tea liquor is bold deep red accompanied with an enchanting aged aroma upon steeping. The taste is a harmonious blend of smoothness and depth, leaving a satisfying aftertaste. Over time, the tea's character intensifies, becoming even more full-bodied and mellowly sweet, making it a prized addition to any tea collection.
In this post I was guessing that it was a pre-fermented variation of Liu Bao, similar to shou / shu pu'er, because the fermentation level is so complete. It being from 2004 explains that fermentation input level, potentially in a different way, or maybe it was processed in a manner similar to shou. 21 years is awhile, especially for teas being stored in Malaysia; it's there. Then I can't say for sure that it wasn't pre-fermented originally as well; there are different styles of Liu Bao, processed in different ways, per my understanding mapping fairly directly to the sheng and shou (raw and ripe) pu'er types.
There's not much about the other version to serve as a baseline. I describe what it had been like earlier, but it has changed a lot in a half dozen years. Here's where it was from:
Who sends an online friend a kilogram of any kind of tea? That friend, and not very many other people. Of course I never had any idea how much it cost; you don't ask about gifts like that.
There's more from him in a description of Tie Kuan Yin's origin story (along with a review of two TGY oolongs that he also sent), which is the most background I've even included about him.
The review notes don't make much of the 031 version's leaves being finer, or brewed tea color differing quite a bit, focusing more on the experienced aspects (vision is an experience; I mean flavor and mouthfeel).
Review:
Legend of Tea Liu Bao (2004, it seems, but I wrote review notes without knowing that): heavy on that distinctive mineral range, which reminds me most of cement block. Using a rinse for these would have been reasonable, but I didn't (although this was a fast infusion, so it's a rinse if you throw it away, and an early infusion if you don't). I might just check the flavor and character and skip drinking all of it.
So far this seems promising. Early mineral related range is a little rough, but I think that will smooth out quickly. Feel is already smooth and rich; by rough I mean that it's a little dry, a little far into tasting like cement range. There is lots of other depth there already there, other sweetness.
This reminds me of seeing a comment about the set (7?) of distinctive Liu Bao flavors awhile back. I asked Google's AI results what those were, but I'm sure the list isn't exactly the same:
Liu Bao tea boasts a complex flavor profile, often described as earthy and mellow, with prominent notes of betel nut, medicinal herbs, and wood. It can also exhibit hints of honey, jujube, and even a subtle fungal aroma, particularly in aged varieties. (and pine smoke is mentioned in the detailed breakdown after).
I'll do more of a flavor list next round, referring back to that.
comparison version, from a friend in Malaysia: much different. It's warmer, missing some of the cement block flavor range, but with plenty of other mineral. I think this is quite different than when I first tried it a half dozen years ago, mellowed quite a bit. "Different how" will be easier to describe in the flavor list breakdown next round.
LOT Liu Bao #2: lots of cement-oriented mineral range still comes across, but it already balances a lot better, with other range stepping forward more. Probably next round this early transition will be more complete.
It's hard to say if this really does taste like betel nut, medicinal herbs, wood, honey, jujube, fungal aroma, and pine smoke. It's complex, and most of that seems to work. There's a decent chance that betel nut is the most pronounced flavor, after that mineral range, but I'm not familiar with that flavor to call it. There's a little jujube (Chinese date), but it's secondary to a lot of other complexity. Wood tones stand out more, and pine, maybe pine wood, versus smoke.
It's cleaner than it probably sounds, as that list. Flavor range is on the deep, warm, and heavy side. Per my understanding Liu Bao can be relatively pre-fermented (like shou pu'er) or not much at all (more like sheng), and this seems to include that process as a main input [editing note: unless this is significantly aged, and then distinguishing pre-fermentation input and aging effect would require plenty of exposure to lots of versions to become clear on]. But it doesn't result in exactly the same heavy, rich flavors as those common in shou. It's related, but a different set.
Complexity is positive in this. Clean effect is nice, and sweetness is good. Feel is rich and full. So to me the make or break related to the experience is how one takes that mineral base flavor, which really sets the stage for all of the rest. It's in between pine wood and cement, which one could interpret as medicinal herbs instead (which sounds better). It should "clean up" a lot over the next round.
comparison version: a heavy, distinct flavor range stands out in this, which I don't remember from trying it many times before. Lots of what I do remember has transitioned to become only supporting aspects, a rougher, lighter mineral range. Maybe part of that is betel nut (again), since I'm really describing a set of flavors that are primary that come across as connected. Richness and sweetness weren't as present before, and a dried fruit range also entered in (like jujube, dried Chinese date, but I suppose it could also be interpreted in different ways).
So is this not as good, better, or just different? I'll get back to that over the next couple of rounds.
LOT #3: this really does come together nicely this round; warm and sweet tones ramp up, and drier mineral tones balance better. That same complex set of aspects is all present, all integrated really well. I could probably sort out what the flavors are better, but that earlier list could work as identification.
comparison version: this is pretty good too, but the profile is narrower. It has softened and deepened over time, which is nice, but it lacks the fullness of flavor across the broad range the other expresses. That's not necessarily worse, but it does seem to leave out part of what is making Liu Bao work, that intensity of balancing flavors, so I guess the complexity. This is centered more on the deep mineral, with some woodiness, a bit towards pine, and a touch of what could be interpreted as dried fruit. That probably sounds like a description of the other, but somehow it covers less range.
It's interesting considering that if the other version is closely mapped to shou pu'er it's at a relative end-point for fermentation, or the same would be true if it's quite aged instead, and at 7 or so years along this would be more at a mid-point (although I'm not sure how old it was back then, when I got it). It should keep changing more over the next half a dozen years. I'm not sure how well that parallel holds up; it's a different style of tea, not made in the same way, not expressing relatively identical young character in terms of aspects. It might work better as a thought model or point of comparison than a guess about future transitions.
LOT #4: depth, complexity, feel, and overall balance are nice for this. It does seem like this is closer to a shou style, related to that warm, earthy depth. That or else this has really been aging for a long time, a decade or more [21 years, per the product description]. It's different than shou, of course, with that dry mineral base standing out (that's not really present in shou at all), with the rest matching better. That mineral level and type has softened and changed over the last two infusions.
Even for the rest shou doesn't taste like jujube / Chinese date, to this extent, and what I'm interpreting as probably like betel nut isn't common either. The rich feel and warmth is comparable, and fullness.
It would be interesting to see if I can tolerate this while fasting, as I can shou, if that part carries over. When a test of that doesn't work it puts me in an awkward place, because I won't just eat some food to resolve it. I can drink shou or aged white tea when fasting, and so far the rest doesn't work very well. I've only experimented with aged sheng a little, because the initial trial didn't go well.
comparison version: there's a bit of sourness in this, that has been evolving to be stronger. To me it's decent tea, interesting for being where it is, and it may well have positive transition potential left. But the other is more positive now, in a couple of different ways. Feel is pretty good for this, and the warmer tones work a lot better than how it came across a half dozen years ago (to me; people could love that edginess and intensity).
It's not a given that Gongfu brewing gets the best out of Liu Bao, or that all versions would work out the same related to relative optimum preparation. To me for sheng and shou pu'er Gongfu brewing is best, in general, but these teas might work well brewed using other approaches, using a much lower proportion. Just a good sized pinch would be enough for "grandpa-style" brewing, drinking it together with the tea left in, using a very extended infusion time. It would probably still brew a few rounds that way, and you could add another pinch to keep on going, for quite awhile. The first Legend of Tea version, for being closer to shou in character, would probably brew tea well using a thermos brewing approach, which isn't completely unrelated, using a very long infusion time, and very limited proportion, letting it sit for an hour or two. Proportion could be really low for that; it wouldn't take much to brew a strong 700 ml of tea.
All of that is more discussion than suggestion; messing around with brewing approach might turn up interesting and positive results.
LOT #5: since these aren't transitioning that much I'll probably leave off after this round. Intensity is backing off just a little but this is far from finished, it seems. Within another couple of rounds I'd be stretching timing a little, which would change aspects some, but I'll probably not write about that. It's good, similar to how it has been for the last couple of rounds.
comparison version: a sort of roasted sunflower seed flavor emerges; this is changing a little more. The sourness that had evolved has now largely dropped out. It expresses a more limited flavor profile, so it's less complex, but the range is comparable, and it's also good.
This might match up really well with a range of foods, which is one positive potential that my Malaysian friend, who sent this to me, had emphasized in talking about how they prefer to experience Liu Bao. It would be rich and intense enough to balance dim sum nicely, and include enough mineral and astringency to offset some of those dishes being heavy, rich, or oily. The other would be ok too, but it would be more like drinking shou pu'er with food, which could also work.
The way this tea was 5 or 6 years ago was a lot more intense, a bit harsher, including more mineral expression and astringency, and that would've balanced against heavy food in a different kind of way. I suppose that it could work to see this character as in between how it had been and the Legend of Tea version I'm using it as a comparison with.
Conclusions:
This seemed to leave out two different kinds of conclusions: to what extent do I like the teas (match to my preference), and how do I judge them in terms of quality level or trueness to type for Liu Bao?
The first relates most to my type preferences in tea, more so than to the quality level of either. They're good, but I like sheng pu'er most, as tea types go. From there I also really appreciate black tea, basic Chinese-style versions, especially Dian Hong, and a lot of oolong range, especially Wuyi Yancha and Dan Cong. So I do like these, but not absolutely loving Liu Bao limits that. It's the same for shou pu'er; it can be fine, but I tend to not love it. And all the more so for green tea, which is more or less my least favorite main broad type.
Related to quality level these seem fine, but I can't really place either on a scale. They seem like relatively different variations of Liu Bao, possibly relating to that raw / ripe or pre-fermented or not divide. It's trickier to try to place two different teas in relation to being good quality examples of two different types or styles, in relation to each other.
I think the main version I'm reviewing here, the Legend of Tea version, is really nice, pleasant and complex, well-balanced, and in a drinkable style. It's better tea than the other version, but that's probably not comparing apples to apples, since it is much more fermented than the other, older, or maybe a processing difference also entered in.
I think it does match one normal type range of Liu Bao, a variation that's already well fermented. I can't place it on a quality scale, or guess about a normal pricing range, because the type just isn't that familiar. But I can add that unless someone is looking for a slightly more challenging type, as the other was when it was newer, this covers pleasant and complex Liu Bao range in a very positive way. Flavors are intense, complex, and well-balanced, and it lacks any kinds of flaws or obvious limitations. As I interpret it the style is a good match to the general type.
The other version is fine too, but it may be even better in another half dozen years, once it finishes an aging process.
Since I can't really place this for quality level, due to not being familiar enough with a higher end range of Liu Bao, it's also hard to place it for value. I can add that if you buy a few aged Liu Bao versions from a source like Yunnan Sourcing there is a good chance that none will really compare well to this, regardless of their age, or possibly even brand and version. Storage conditions need to be somewhat optimum for the initial quality of a version to carry over well to an aged form; too wet and one would be quite musty, too dry and the fermentation process wouldn't occur properly.
It's been awhile since I've done that, but Liu Bao has turned up here and there in samples since. This version is one of the best I've tried, and maybe the best, since it's hard to keep track. It will be interesting trying others from them, to help place it further.
