Oriental Leaf Jinyang Genshe 2010 Fu brick tea

 

This reviews an exceptional Fu zhuan (brick) hei cha version from Oriental Leaf.  This was sent by them for review (many thanks!).

I've reviewed a number of other versions from them, over last year.  A general theme was making Fu zhuan hei cha from different types of higher than usual tea material, for example from Yunnan Assamica usually used to make pu'er, or from already processed white tea.  

I've never really explored hei cha processing that much here, how it differs from producing other types, or how fermentation is induced through different processing steps.  I read, and mentioned, some background on Liu Bao awhile back, but it was a bit complicated to sort out by simplified summary.  This includes "golden flower" fungus growth, which is regarded as a positive input, but I also don't get into that much in this.

It works to mostly just describe the tea itself, the typical blog review theme.  Which often starts with citing the producer / vendor description and details, as here:

Jingyang Genshe 2010 Vintage Fu Brick Tea | Golden Flower Dark Tea  ($218 for a 468 gram brick, but it is also sold as a 30 gram sample for $17)

In 2010, in the ancient tea-trading hub of Jingyang, Shaanxi Province, master craftsman Jia Genshe 贾根社 pressed this brick using techniques his family has guarded for generations. The "Jingyang Fu Brick Tea making technique" was officially recognized and listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. This designation reflects the extraordinary skill required to cultivate the Golden Flowers that define authentic Fu tea—a process that historically could only succeed under Jingyang's unique climate and water conditions.

What sets this brick apart is the preservation of an increasingly rare production step: the tea-oil infusion process (熬茶油, Áo Chá Yóu). After the Hunan Anhua black maocha (黑毛茶, Hēi Máo Chá) undergoes initial fermentation (渥堆, Wò Duī) and cutting, it is simmered to extract a thick, concentrated tea liquor. This potent essence is then poured back over the leaves before the flowering stage (发花, Fā Huā) begins. The result is a Fu brick with noticeably richer body and more complex flavor than standard production methods can achieve.

Hand compressed Fuzhuan is easier for the Golden Flower to grow than machine compressed. Since the hand-compressed tea is not as tight as the machine, there will be more space and moisture for the fungus to grow and propagate. Master Jia's entirely handmade approach—from pressing to flowering—ensures optimal conditions for the beneficial Eurotium cristatum to flourish throughout the brick.

So the description offers a good bit of build-up, with more description content in the listing.  And the selling cost of this is considerable, perhaps the highest Fu zhuan or hei cha pricing I've seen.  It would have to be one of the best hei cha versions I've ever tried to justify that.  And it is; this stands above anything else I've experienced within the entire hei cha range.  Surely this represents the high end of Fu zhuan potential, regardless of where it stands within that higher end range.

Mind you the difference between quite good Fu zhuan and a great version could seem narrow, to some.  Their "On Taoism" pressed cake examples were already pretty good, and for people assigning value (and limited cost) as a main selection input they could be good enough.  This tea is something else; it's for people really on that page.  Or buying a sample would provide the experience without the $200+ expense (for a brick version amounting to nearly half a kilogram; that's a lot of material to keep experiencing).

I've mentioned sharing that earlier tea experience, those other versions, with people in tastings (in posts here), and in general essentially everyone who has tried it has found it interesting, and liked it.  I think that relates to why Oriental Leaf is open to sharing tea of this amount and value (which sort of requires explanation, per one take on it).  It could seem like a way to "buy" blogger or reviewer support, to convert a positive reviewer into more of a proactive supporter or "shill" role, but I don't see it as working out like that.  

If I like a tea I communicate exactly the same thing, whether a vendor has sent a sample or else more tea than that.  If I dislike a tea I generally won't cover it, seeing that as an uninteresting story to tell, unless a tea is bad in an interesting way, for example a Lapsang Souchong version is way too smoky.  

I don't end up buying much bad tea, and vendors don't share it with me, so I typically review whatever is interesting enough to write about.  I bought some generic local black tea a year or so ago that wasn't; that kind of thing happens.

Review:

Infusion #1:  of course it's really something, novel, complex, and exceptional.  A rye bread like flavor stands out initially, with lots going on beyond that.  There's a sweetness that might be like honey, or maybe closer to caramel.  A spice tone matches well with the fresh baked bread flavor effect.  I suppose it's like one part of nutmeg, which works out to be a complex flavor.  Feel is full and rich, and it contributes some aftertaste experience already.  Mineral depth is warm and pronounced.

The tea is very clean and full, related to an overall impression.  There is no murkiness or heavy earthiness.  This may well be the best Fu zhuan version I've tried.  To an extent that has to be framed in relation to a personal preference, since that's the final yardstick, but you can also extend that to be an objective conclusion, it just functions in a limited sense as that.  

Editing note:  these notes were written before I read the description, heard anything about the tea, or knew the cost of it, per my standard approach.  I don't go back and edit tasting descriptions to sound more like the product description.

#2:  heavier flavors pick up.  Using a relatively high proportion, maybe 8 grams, relates to this brewing to be strong, even with limited infusion time (maybe 15 seconds this round; not that long, or that limited).  Brewed lighter sweeter, lighter flavors stand out more, and brewed heavier heavy flavors and warmer tones tend to be more of what you experience.  Astringency is stronger when a tea is brewed stronger, but this doesn't include a lot of that.  It has a full feel, and a lot of body, and that's it.

This has shifted from a fresh baked light rye flavor range to a darker bread range, on towards pumpernickel.  Spice tone is still present, but lighter, and sweetness plays a less pronounced role.  More earthy and mineral range depth stands out.  

You can taste a golden flowers input; that has a specific, characteristic flavor.  Some of what I'm missing, that I'm leaving out in notes, relates to that.  There's a touch of sourness to it, a yeasty sort of effect.  If you've tried to use brewer's yeast as a supplement, or something along that line, it's pretty close to that.  I think most people would like the flavor, and overall effect, but there's nothing necessarily universal about that; some also wouldn't.  People could apply interpretations like cardboard or cured hardwood; that could make sense.  To me it's still in a bread range, more so.

she helped out with the tasting

#3:  I brewed this faster, at less than 10 seconds, to see what that changes.

To some extent lighter tones do emerge, but it's also in the same general range.  There's a catchy flavor set, in the way these particular flavors combine.  A lighter, sweeter sort of caramel tone is more present in this round.  The spice that I identified as nutmeg is probably closer to an incense spice.  Eventually I'll try out burning some decent incense sticks, but until then I'll have trouble placing which ones.  Sandalwood, maybe?  

The feel is exceptional, that fullness, with a good bit of structure, but that's at the same time very approachable.  It doesn't contribute aftertaste in the same sense as sheng pu'er.  Flavor definitely trails afterwards, and feel does, but it's more that the whole experience stays with you.  It's also the feel across your entire mouth, and a residual flavor echo that's not the same as what you taste drinking it.  Mineral tone stands out more, like a rich, warm version of clay.  Some people might think "yuck, clay," but the range of scent tones that clay can express can be remarkable.  I played with clay a lot as a child; it was that kind of a strange, rural, old timey sort of experience of youth, for me.

From there I think other people might "get" other flavors.  One part might resemble pine cones, and another some type of curing hardwood bark.  It tastes a little like beeswax.  There's a lot of depth and complexity to both the flavor and feel experience ranges.

#4:  I'll go back to brewing this around 15 seconds; I think it will do well more fully extracted.

Spice tone stands out a bit more.  It's hard to say what spice; it's complex, so really more than one thing.  The main part is along the line of sandalwood.  I suppose this tastes like how you'd expect the "spice melange" in Dune to taste.  Let's check that:

In Dune, the Spice Melange is consistently described as smelling and tasting like bitter cinnamon. However, the experience is highly subjective; characters note that it never tastes exactly the same twice, taking on complex, life-like variations that can induce mild euphoria.

Because "melange" translates to "mixture" or "blend" in French, many culinary interpretations suggest it relies on cinnamon as a base while weaving in notes of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. The dynamic flavor profile is also frequently attributed to a "learned-flavor reaction," where your body recognizes the substance as life-enhancing and interprets the taste as intensely pleasurable.

(with the AI sampling that last part from here)

One part of this does taste like clove, but it's a very soft, rich part of the entire clove flavor range.  Maybe the spice depth isn't unlike ginger too, but again there is no strong, spicy edge.

Aftertaste is quite pronounced, probably a little stronger for brewing this stronger.  That sandalwood sort of effect really carries over.

# 5:  feel is changing, more than flavor tone, but it's also both.  It's still rich, full, and approachable, but a bit more edge enters in, a trace of dryness.  That aftertaste effect also sort of builds up on you, over lots of rounds.  You could always drink water between rounds, or some neutral food, like a rice cracker, to get it to dispel, but it's a pleasant effect.

This feel and flavor will continue to evolve; this tea is far from finished.  But I only have so much patience for taking notes, and I drank some of sheng versions left over from yesterday before starting this, with breakfast.  Breakfast was pretty exceptional today, but also kind of normal for me:  eggs with amaranth (Thai or Chinese spinach), lychee, left over pastry (egg tart and taro with latticed danish), and a small local donut.

In drinking the last of this round it again occurs to me how clean in effect this is.  For listing all of these relatively earthy or warm vegetal flavors you might expect it to be a little harsher, but it's clean and light in tone (compared to some flavors being a little heavy).  Feel is rich and full but not harsh.  Maybe related to aging input settling out rougher edges?

Conclusion

There isn't too much to add; I really liked the tea.  Flavor complexity, depth, intensity, feel, and refinement were all very positive.  Novelty was great; some other similar teas I've tried could include comparable individual aspects from this, but nothing else has come close related to pulling it all together.

I guess from there I can get back to value issues.  Fu zhuan tends to be inexpensive, and those earlier versions seemed like middle-range pricing to me, on a somewhat higher level than might be most typical ($38.50 for 190 gram cake, kind of in sheng pu'er range, relating to a $70-some 357 gram cake).  

But the most "ordinary" and low cost Fu zhuan tends to include a number of limitations, eg. moderate flavor intensity and complexity, a limited amount of off flavor range (earthiness, tasting like less positive forms of clay), rougher feel, etc.  I think that's a great place to start hei cha exploration, but eventually people might naturally want to try better versions.

Maybe citing an earlier experience will clarify this, from this post in 2017:  Yi Qing Yuan factory Hunan Fu brick tea with golden flowers

That tea sounds fine, and somewhat comparable, but from that description it doesn't sound like it's on the same level.  The tea was from Yunnan Sourcing, but they don't still list it (of course), and instead of that being from 2009 they seem to mostly only list 2018 and 19 versions now (so still a comparable age as that had been then, 8 years old).  Eight years probably does settle out quite a bit of the rougher edged range of a lot of hei cha, but 16 is probably better, for a more complete transition cycle.  

That review includes a bit on what golden flowers are (the fungus); I was doing more with looking up and including such background back then.

To be fair it's hard to place my 2017 perspective against my current exposure to hei cha, and a broad range of teas.  I was new to the range then, and I've tried a good bit since, but have focused more on pu'er.  This was written mostly to communicate the aspects as I experienced them, instead of placing the tea within a range of other Fu zhuan hei cha that's out there, but a little discussion of that seemed in order.

at a local Bangkok convention center (Queen Sirikit)

2022 Lishan Tie Guan Yin, 2021 Formosa Tie Guan Yin

Lishan left, in all photos (much greener and lighter in brewed color)

I'm back to reviewing, covering two oolong versions from Tea Mania, a vendor based in Switzerland.  These were contributed for review, more or less, and also just shared by the owner as a tea friend (many thanks!).

Their teas are pretty solid, so I went into trying these with high expectations.  They lived up to them.  That can be a problem, expecting teas to be on the far side of above average, because if anything is missing some of the expected type-typical aspect range, and aspects that serve as quality indicators, or just isn't a tight match to preference, then it can seem all the worse, where with more neutral expectations that would just be normal.

I wanted to add a little personal update here as well.  I've just returned from living in Hawaii again for a month, staying where my kids go to school in Honolulu.  That was the second month long outing there in the last half a year, and I'll go back again in two more months, for the end of Keoni's senior year there.  It has been quite an interesting four year cycle.  Of course that education was the goal, and that part worked.  Switching over employment back to the US didn't.  Living between the two locations and cultures wasn't really intended.

I suppose because I've spent most of the last 18 1/2 years here in Bangkok, and I still spend far more than half the year here, there isn't really any adjustment to work through going back to Thailand.  In Honolulu I feel like I am adjusting for the first couple of weeks, and it could feel more natural for the entire first month.  Of course it's fantastic there; that helps.  I swam in the ocean, out to a flag about 200 meters out, at least a dozen times in a month.  Running goes better there, due to the cooler climate, just not so much this time related to an Achilles tendon problem.  

I met an interesting tea contact there this time, but left out telling that story, in part to avoid going through the permission step, and because there wasn't that much of a consistent story to it.  It felt like meeting new friends; it was nice.  Discussion was all over the place, as it should be.

No matter where I spend time with the kids things go great, so either place, or anywhere else, is suitable for that.

Back to business here; I'll try to look up listings for what I tried.

The first one I couldn't find; it's not this:  Lishan Tieguanyin  ($31 for 50 grams), even though that's also from 2022.  That's too oxidized; it really can't be the same tea.  Or maybe it is, and that just seems completely impossible to me. 

It's lighter, more like this one:  Lishan Medium Roast ($25 for 50 grams).  But that's made from Qing Xin cultivar, and it's not the right year either (from 2015).  They might buy a lot at one time and then be ok with selling it out over years.  It might be similar to this version, Gaoshan Tieguanyin, just from a different year, with that one listed from 2025.

That second one seems to be this:

2021 Formosa Tieguanyin  ($25 for 50 grams)

Formosa Tieguanyin, hailing from Pinglin and harvested during the spring season, undergoes traditional processing methods, resulting in a tea with a medium to strong degree of oxidation. This oxidation level is notably reflected in the green leaves with a delicate red edge, creating a  a beautiful amber liquor.

The aroma of Formosa Tieguanyin is robust and floral, a quintessential trait of spring teas, accompanied by subtle toasted notes that add depth to its profile. Its fragrance evokes hints of jasmine and magnolia, creating a harmonious bouquet. Depending on the quality of the water used, it may reveal a refreshing, slightly acidic note, adding to its complexity. As you savor this tea, you’ll notice a gentle spiciness and honey-like undertones in the cup, making it a truly multisensory experience.

One of the unique attributes of this Formosa Tieguanyin is its enduring finish in the mouth. The reverberation of its flavors persists over an extended period, inviting you to savor and contemplate its intricate character in meditative silence. Thanks to its traditional processing, this tea is well-suited for storage without compromising its aroma. Over time, as it matures, the aroma transforms, unveiling its own distinct charm.

Harvest date: spring 2021

Aroma: floral notes, reminiscent of jasmine and magnolia, honey undertones

Oxidation: approx. 50%.

Roasting: medium

Terroir: Pinglin, Taiwan

I'm more familiar with sheng pu'er pricing, so I won't be able to add much about the relative value of these.  Are they good for costing in the 50 cents a gram range?  I think so.  You don't find versions as inexpensive as some other types range for better quality Taiwanese oolong; it seems you pay to get versions in that category.  Up towards $1 a gram is normal, and the 50 cents per gram range for good versions is quite fair.

Maybe that's not so much, or maybe it's out of some people's budgets; it just depends on expectations.  But I doubt that you can find anything in a similar quality level in a lower price range.  There must be some decent oolong out there for less, but these have all been exceptional, well beyond decent.

I usually talk through input factors a lot more.  This doesn't discuss any differences related to Tie Guan Yin and more standard Qing Xin variations, and barely touches on the aging issue, that these are nearly 4 and 5 years old.  It works to just describe them.

Review:

2022 Lishan:  this is a bit overbrewed (ok, maybe even more than a bit); I was looking at something online and left it for over a minute.  Not ideal as controlled review processes go, but the tea will be fine.

It's a little strong, but still quite pleasant.  It will interesting seeing how a light version works out, the opposite sequence I normally experience both forms in.  Mineral tone is positive.  Feel is thick and full.  A vegetal range note is harder to place; it integrates well, and it's not negative, but it's less clearly positive.  This includes plenty of that type-typical mineral base and floral range, it's just in an unusual form for being brewed a bit strong.  

Nothing negative stands out; this is one purpose of using stronger infusions, to identify flaws better.  That vegetal range should lighten at a normal infusion strength.

2021 Formosa:  this is in a completely different flavor and character range.  It was more oxidized and more roasted, most likely.  I've always loved that effect when those two things balance well.  I think they will for this version, but again being brewed slightly strong doesn't show it's true potential, beyond highlighting that it doesn't include certain kinds of flaws.  

There's an interesting spice range in this, difficult to determine between root spice and bark spice range.  My first guess is that it spans both; it's quite complex.  One part actually is along the line of cinnamon, but there's a lot more to it.  It will help trying it lighter; that can work better for separating flavors.

Of course both have full feel and pronounced aftertaste expression, brewed a little strong.

Lishan #2:  creamy, light, sweet, and rich.  It is much better in a conventional infusion strength, but it wasn't so bad extra strong.  There's a characteristic high mountain oolong range this covers really well, a mix of base mineral, creaminess, and floral range.  I suppose this is probably identifiable as a region-specific example, and I've tried plenty of tea from different areas in Taiwan, but not enough over the last few years to stay familiar with that.  It's hard enough tracking how that goes for pu'er, which I drink much more of.  

If Tie Guan Yin is an exception for plant type for this area--which it says in a different product description--maybe the type-typical character would be harder to identify, without a lot of exposure.

It's very pleasant.  It didn't lose any brightness of freshness over nearly 4 years of settling (it's from 2022).  It probably did change, and if I'd been drinking a lot of oolong for the past half dozen years I could speculate about how.  Picking up depth?  Who knows.

I can't identify that bright floral range as a specific flower aspect flavor but anyone with even limited exposure with Taiwanese oolongs would already have a pretty good idea of what I mean.  It's not vegetal at all, in this form; that part switches back over, from when brewed too strong, back to floral range, and a flavor that actually seems a little like cream.

Formosa:  more pleasant, again, but of course just a lighter experience of the first round.  Those layers of warm and sweet spice really stand out.  Warm mineral and rich, round sort of feel complement them.  Sweetness is pleasant, for both of these.  Part of the warm, sweet range seems to resemble honey, or maybe that's caramel.  Or maybe both; this is on the complex side.  It's not far off dried fruit but I'm not noticing that standing out.  For being less distinct that could really be floral range instead.

Lishan #3:  maybe vegetal range does enter back in a bit, infused a little stronger than last time, but not overbrewed.  Intensity is good, but that was true when brewed quite light too.  Floral range is still pleasant, and creamy feel and some cream flavor stands out.  The mineral base is quite strong.  

This is exactly what many people would be looking for in a Taiwanese oolong experience.  It's familiar range.  I like it, I guess apparently just not enough to break from drinking pu'er all of the time to seek it out (and some black tea, but that's limited, more a main alternate).  I could drink this regularly and appreciate it.  In a limited sense pu'er seems more intense (sheng pu'er, I mean, of course), including bitterness, strong flavors, and a particular astringency.  But this is very complex and intense in flavor, and the rich feel and aftertaste provide secondary supporting experience.

Formosa:  I could speculate about another half dozen flavors being included in this, it's that complex.  But describing it as primarily in spice flavor range, a broad set of inclusions within that, and including mineral base, sweetness, and other range like caramel mostly gets it.  

It would work to interpret part as being a rich, heavy floral range, or seeing some of that towards-earthiness range connecting with dried fruit.  Maybe dried longan?  Only people who have tried dried longan would recognize how much of a compliment that is.  It's probably my favorite dried tropical fruit.  There's something so catchy about it that once you start eating it it can be hard to stop.  It doesn't stick around for long.  Of course once you think of the association it seems obvious, and accurate.  Let's say this tastes like dried longan, and set aside the rich floral part for now.

In later rounds the roast input didn't integrate as well, which is actually normal for this range of oolong.  I didn't take notes past these early rounds but it held up to brew quite a number more.

Both are really good.  Both are extreme examples of the positive potential of Taiwanese oolong.  I'm curious what the aging input contributed, nearly 5 and nearly 6 years for both.  They mellowed and deepened?  It almost had to be positive, given where these are now.  

There isn't a hint of negative aspect range in either.  That can be hard to appreciate, noticing something that isn't there.  And intensity and complexity is great for both.  If this more oxidized and roasted version isn't too costly it would be ideal for buying quite a bit of, to drink over the next decade, and then to experience as a truly aged version (which of course would seem all the more true after 20 years, not "only" 16).  

Looking back at the included price, added during editing, this is 50 cents a gram.  It could pay off to buy some to drink and some to forget about for awhile.  

I left out part of the personal backstory, about the tasting.  I had changed countries less than a week before, which didn't add too much jet lag, but I had cut my thumb hand-washing a knife earlier that morning, and went on to get stitches later.  I don't think it threw off my perspective much, but in retrospect it was a little strange doing a relaxing tea tasting between those two steps.  I didn't think the injury was so bad.

Our cats are just now experiencing exploring the outdoors, two kittens that are about half a year old now, or I guess maybe even 8 months.  That's not so distracting, more a pleasant step to witness.  They both just learned to climb trees this weekend.  I do end up getting up a lot, from a table outside, to check that they're not walking out into the soi / alley, going around our gate.  On a later day I climbed that tree myself, to help one down, since she hasn't figured out the down-climb process yet.

Life is all about those ups and downs, isn't it?  In two months I'll be a more direct part of my kids experiences, which I just hear about by video call now.  There's lots more drama when I'm not there, which I guess is partly a good sign, that I help keep it all tracking well when I am there.

Tea Mania Meishan and Lishan dark roast oolongs

Meishan left, Lishan right, in all photos

I'm reviewing two more versions of Taiwanese oolong from Tea Mania, from a set of samples provided for review (many thanks!).  As much just shared to try them, since I know that owner, but reviewing tea is what bloggers do.

These teas were exceptional.  That can mean different things; in some cases it's about a tea really matching a great version of a well-established type, or in others one can be quite novel.  These seem like one of each, with one a bit different than I've tried much of before, although the more-roasted, light style Lishan version also isn't exactly standard.  You don't see that balance of significant roast input and a lighter starting point (not very oxidized) that works this well.  But the Meishan version is really something else.  Maybe related to age?  It's from 2012, while the other is from 2019 (well settled, but the other seemed to pick up age related notes, that plum and extra depth).

I'll cite the vendor description and move on to review notes:

Meishan Dark Roast  (2019; $22.50 for 50 grams)

This Qingxin from Meishan is a well-oxidised oolong tea in the traditional style, expertly crafted by a renowned tea master in spring 2012. A true rarity among today’s Formosa oolongs, it features a distinctive dark roast that enhances its complexity. Grown at an altitude of 1100 meters in Meishan, the tea develops an abundance of deep aromatics characterized by floral and warming nuances reminiscent of Dongding tea, yet distinguished by a richer aroma and more intense flavor due to its high-altitude origin. The infusion presents a warm, robust yellow hue, free from bitterness even after prolonged steeping. Its fragrance is notably floral, with elegant notes of osmanthus and blossom honey. The lasting aftertaste invites contemplative enjoyment, revealing the tea’s intricate layers in each subsequent sip.

Thanks to its traditional oxidation and dark roasting, this Qingxin oolong uniquely preserves the cultivar’s inherent characteristics while imparting a rich, distinctive depth. The traditional craftsmanship ensures excellent storability, allowing its aroma to evolve gracefully over time, acquiring an enchanting maturity with age.

Harvest date: Spring 2012

Aroma: notes of honey, floral and toasty

Oxidation: approx. 50%

Roasting: strong

Cultivar: Qingxin

Terroir: Meishan, Chiayi, Taiwan

In writing review notes I was curious about pricing for this, since it really is so exceptional that it would be hard to identify a standard level for that.  At nearly 50 cents a gram this still seems like a steal to me.  You would typically have to use less mainstream curator sourcing to find teas like this.  Tea Mania only sells pretty good teas, so I guess those vendor types tend to not be completely distinct.

Lishan Dark Roast  (2019; $31.22 for 50 grams)

Lishan Dark Roast is a medium-oxidized, medium-strong roasted highland tea from Lishan using tea leaves of the Qingxin cultivar. Qingxin means green heart. It is the cultivar with the longest history of cultivation in Taiwan, the most popular among tea farmers and tea drinkers alike, and by far the most widely cultivated. When people talk about Oolong in Taiwan, they usually refer to it as “Qingxin-Oolong”. It is the same cultivar from which the traditional, genuine Dongding is made...

Lishan Dark Roast is a medium-oxidized, traditionally processed highland tea from Lishan. Due to the medium oxidation, the tea has a honey-like yet flowery aroma, which is complemented by the stronger body and more intensive taste experience typical of Oolong tea. The leaves are processed traditionally, resulting in red edges. The reverberation in the mouth is still clearly perceptible even over a longer period of time and it is a pleasure to trace the character of the tea in meditative silence and to fathom its complex character more and more.

Lishan Dark Roast is medium-strong roasted, which adds layers of flavor including warm, nutty notes, hints of caramel, and roasted barley. But, the character of highland teas is still clearly visible. Due to the traditional processing, it can be stored without any problems and without losing its aroma. With increasing age, the aroma changes and develops its very own charm.

Harvest time: spring 2019

Aroma: floral, with notes of honey, nuts and caramel

Oxidation: approx. 40%

Roasting: medium-strong

Cultivar: Qingxin

Terroir: Lishan, Nantou, Taiwan

This is priced a little higher than the other.  Preference is what determines how much someone connects with each tea, and I've always loved a bit more oxidation balance in well-roasted oolongs.  But that other version is really something; all those layers of richer, deeper flavors, maybe related to it aging for an extra 7 years.  

This second tea is well balanced, and quality is evident, so it's also good.  And around 60 cents a gram is probably pretty standard for way better than average quality, distinctive Lishan oolong.  Maybe even still a good value, but that first version is really unique.

Review:

Meishan #1:  this brews a lot darker than the other; that's interesting.  I may or may not be able to guess why.  This is going to be too light to get much of a sense of.  I let it go a lot longer than the 15 second or so typical infusion time, maybe double that, but it wasn't enough to open the rolled form.  The first impression is good; this tastes like dark caramel, with a good bit of complex range beyond that.  Maybe plum?  As a 2012 tea, 13 years old, that aged effect could be present.  A little spice range shows up beyond that.

Lishan:  even light this is really creamy and pleasant.  Feel is creamy, and taste is sweet, and not unlike cream.  It might include a much lighter caramel note.  These are going to be pretty good.  If the other version, the first one, is as good as it initially seems it would be hard to set a fair market price for it.  Aged oolong is expensive, and it's most often what seemed to be left behind somewhere, forgotten about, but this initially seems to be something else, a truly exceptional version.

Meishan #2:  it's very unique; good luck having a vaguely comparable experience to this tea through any other version.  I'm not saying that it's that much better than a lot of other range, but this just doesn't come up, per what I've experienced.  Or maybe it often does, and I've been focusing on sheng pu'er for so long that I've missed a lot of range that's out there.

A set of complementary flavors balance against each other; there is no one or two dominant aspects.  One part is plum, but it's integrated with the rest.  Another is dark caramel, and that stands out more than most of the rest.  Beyond that a warm, sweet, earthy range tastes a bit like a light roasted coffee to me.  Or spice, or maybe it's that both are present.  A heavy, mineral intensive flavor could resemble aged leather.  In the wrong context that wouldn't be as pleasant, but in this it balances well with the rest.

Feel is really rich too.  It's clean in effect, with a good sweetness level.  Aftertaste experience adds complexity.  It's like a checklist of what can go well in tea.  There's even a cognac like aromatic layer that seems to only show up in really high quality tea versions, within a certain range of types, not so uncommon in exceptional Wuyi Yancha versions.  I suppose if someone was looking for flaws a touch of sourness might be interpreted as such.  But to me it integrates well with the spice layer, as a flavor that makes sense along with that, and it's likely to drop out quickly.

Lishan:  of course this comes across as simpler, but it holds its own reasonable well for also being a solid tea, and for expressing different character.  The roast level works well for this, perhaps a bit lighter than for the other, or maybe it's that aging effect warms the tone of the other.  This is a 2019 version so it has had time to settle.  Floral range stands out more, and creaminess.  The creamy flavor, and to some extent feel, are more balanced by other range, with the rest stronger.  Feel has good fullness and richness.  

I suppose to some extent it suffers in comparison with the other, because that other complexity is really something, so many layers standing out at the same time, along with novel and exceptional flavor range.  This is more what you would expect from a well-balanced, good quality, high roast level Taiwanese oolong.  Floral range isn't as bright and light as in light versions, but it's not completely unlike that.  Mineral depth is there; that's a typical positive balancing aspect.

Meishan #3:  I'm brewing these between 15 and 20 seconds.  They would work well brewed faster or slower; the character would just balance differently.  Intensity is fine for using 10 second timing instead, and nothing negative would probably stand out brewed for half a minute.  I just don't prefer them either of those ways.

Creaminess seems to pick up; interesting.  Dark caramel had probably shifted to a medium caramel last round, and this is lighter, more like butterscotch.  There is an awful lot going on beyond that, but it seems to integrate to a complex background range at this stage.  You get a sense of depth.  If it had included sourness last round, which would've been a judgment call, you can't detect that now.  

Lishan:  this evolves to come across as more complex, and warmer in tone.  It's interesting how they're transitioning in two completely different ways.  In a limited sense it's more like the other, but they're still kind of different.  It still resembles the typical floral range of Taiwanese oolong more, but the warm tones are something else.  Producers can set a roast level wherever they like, but this probably needed those extra years to settle to be this exceptional.  Roasting it this much might seem like a gamble, and my guess is that it's paying off more now than it would have within the first year or two.

Peter, the Tea Mania owner, has mentioned that it's hard to try oolong versions and get a clear sense of what is going to be exceptional years later.  They settle in ways that are hard to predict.  All of this is what I don't experience enough of to get a sense of it, since I drank a lot more oolongs of different types prior to switching mostly to sheng, maybe 6 or 8 years ago.  Even then I drank more Wuyi Yancha.  Even if I had been drinking more Taiwanese oolongs regularly my tea budget wouldn't have supported trying many teas of this quality level.  In the same way the highest end range of sheng pu'er has only been available through trying samples, I guess, and mostly some that are sent for review.

direct sunlight threw off coloration; the two were more balanced in color this round

Meishan #4:  not so different than last round.  It's creamy and warm, with good depth, a nice mineral base, caramel range (or butterscotch; it's a judgment call), and probably some spice beyond that.  People could interpret it differently.  It could taste like cacao to some, or warm floral range instead.  When flavors are this complex what you get is kind of an interpretation.  Seeing one part as a warm wood tone might make sense, or leather, which seemed to match better in an early round, or maybe even cinnamon.  To me it's closer to cinnamon than those others.  It's really clean for including some of that earthier range.

Lishan:  also not transitioning as much as before, settling into a nice character.  It's nice experiencing that typical floral and mineral base range in a completely different form like this.  I was worried that these might be a little like Tie Guan Yin versions that are really light, that are re-roasted to restore deadened flavor effect.  Of course they're better tea than that, made more intentionally, but the higher roast and lower oxidation level inputs taken together can be a little off-putting.  This isn't like that.  I suppose if someone hated the high roast effect (probably medium-high; high roast implies a tea is all but charred, and this isn't), combined with brighter oolong floral range, then maybe it isn't so good, but I think most tea drinkers could relate positively to this.  

The other tea is something else again though.  It's not just a better version of a style that I've tried before, it's something relatively new to me.  I've tried some aged oolongs, maybe a half dozen versions (in rolled style, this Taiwanese range; twisted style range is something else), but nothing that balances in this sort of way.  That reminds me; I bought a decent amount of a 1992 version that I liked, that I haven't retried in a number of years; eventually I should check in on that.

I'll leave off here, since the story seems to be mostly told.  It's a busy errand day, since I leave to go back to Honolulu in less than a week, and I'm still working through cats being sick.  I might go visit them at the vet today, where they stay, even though I was there yesterday, since it will be a busy week, and I may not see much of them. 

I visited the cats that day, and once more a day or two later, and they're back to normal, quite lively.

Malaysian stored 2003 and 2018 Liu Bao comparison

Hilltown Jin Hua version left, in all photos

I'm trying two more Liu Bao from a Malaysian vendor, Legend of Tea.  The last experience with another Liu Bao version was great, one of the best versions I've tried.  I would expect more of the same, that these will be really nice.  They're this:

Jin Hua Liu Bao (2018, $16 for 100 grams)

Jinhua Liu Bao tea features small golden particles on the surface of the tea leaves, known as "Jinhua (golden flowers)." These golden flowers are a hallmark of high-quality Liu Bao tea. Their presence indicates beneficial microbial activity during the tea's aging process. The enzymes secreted by these microbes accelerate the transformation of substances in the tea, enhancing its flavour and enriching it with health-benefiting compounds. Jinhua has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, boosts immunity, and promotes cardiovascular health.

Jinhua Liu Bao tea has black-brown, tightly rolled leaves. The brewed tea is a rich, bright red colour, with a mellow, sweet taste and a pure aroma that combines floral and aged notes. The tea leaves are uniformly soft and moist, showing vitality and a deep, vibrant colour.

Aged Bing Lang Xiang 032 Liu Bao (from 2003; the page doesn't have a 100 gram option, so it's $63.40 for 250 grams, $25 for 100 grams when sold at that higher volume pricing)

Aged Bing Lang Xiang 032 is made using the traditional "double steamed, double pressed" method and aged for years in a clean cellar, resulting in its unique betel nut flavour. Its vibrant blackish brown colour tea leaves are plump, even and supple. The radiant dark red tea liquor envelopes a rich "chenyun" taste, along with a delightful interplay of thickness, strength, and sweetness that lingers long after each sip.

It is a harmonious blend, where the betelnut aroma is enticing, while the smooth, fresh sweetness fills your moth. The enchanting aftertaste, refreshingly enduring, will leave you yearning for another blissful moment with this extraordinary Liubao tea.

I can never do much with flagging a betel nut flavor / aroma (what Bing Lang translates to, with Xiang meaning flavor or aroma), because I'm not familiar with that.  I also can't place the "double steamed, double pressed" processing method.

It's interesting hearing of those differences in relation to the aspect and character differences, described following, which I wrote out prior to reading these descriptions.

Review:

#1, 2018 Jin Hua version:  this is a lot lighter in brewed liquid appearance, for what that's worth.  For tasting these blind I don't know what that means.  It could be a younger tea, or the other may be fermented more during processing (through a wet piling type of step).

This is heavy on mineral.  I'm drinking the first infusion, with no rinse, or at least the review starts there.  More people would rinse Liu Bao than wouldn't, I think, at least in "Western tea circles."  The review would just start at infusion two, in such a case.  

The mineral is that slate mineral that's common in Liu Bao.  The other flavor range is also present, some pine, sweetness that could emerge as dried fruit later, and medicinal root sort of flavor, ginseng.  It's pretty clean, but I think mineral range will probably drop back from here, and the rest will balance better.  That's the equivalent of sheng pu'er being more approachable after the first round or two, just related to different aspects.

I may be picking up more preference for Liu Bao, from these tastings.  It helps that lots of these have been exceptional versions (although I'm on the 4th and 5th from two different vendors, so it's not that much of them).  I've been drinking Fu hei cha style teas as well.

#2, 2003 Bing Lang Xiang:  so different!  The flavor is much warmer and heavier, not a complete surprise given the color difference.  So is this a much older tea version, or is it fermented more by processing?  It could be both.  It would be surprising if additional processing fermentation wasn't an input, but with 25 to 30 years of aging maybe Liu Bao could shift to heavier, warmer tones.  Or maybe 20, in Malaysia, in a naturally hot and humid environment.  Like here, in Bangkok; it's 30 C / 90 F in the rainy season now.

This tea is complex as well; I'll add more of a flavor list next round.

still a lot of brewed tea color difference, even with both brewed quickly

#1 (2018), second infusion:  even more complex.  Heavier slate mineral is still present, but the drier side of that softened and deepened, and the rest balances better.  This is really nice.  It balances the standard complex flavor range (mineral, pine, ginseng, some dried fruit).  Warm, heavy tones are pleasant.  It doesn't remind me of shou pu'er range, not that earthy and heavy, but it's a little towards that, along the line of fallen timber, which would smell like curing tree bark.  [later edit:  I missed betel nut.  Maybe it tasted a lot like that, I wouldn't really know.]

Sweetness is good, feel is nice and thick, and aftertaste is pronounced.  This might evolve a little for one more round, to balance even better, but it's already there now.  Slate mineral might be a bit much for someone not on that page, but to me it's pretty much as it should be.

#2, (2003):  that changed even more; the list from last round and this one might be slightly different.  A little char emerges, like charcoal.  That wasn't present last round, that I noticed.  A heavy, inky mineral flavor range picked up as well, only partly related to that.  Sweetness is good, balancing that.  Pine is part of the flavor range, and maybe a little ginseng, it's just not as pronounced as in the other version.  Rich feel is nice, and flavor depth.

#1, third infusion:  an aspect towards smoke or char is picking up in this; that's interesting.  I really would have expected that to be present earlier on, if it was going to show up.  It's on even ground, the same intensity, as that other range that had been present.  It links nicely with the slate mineral, and being supported or balanced by the ginseng / herb and limited fruit range is nice.

#2:  not changing so much.  These are actually much closer in character than they've been, related to the shift in the other version.  This is smoother and deeper, not matching as much slate mineral as the other expresses.  The rest kind of comes together.

#1, fourth infusion:  this will probably be it for notes, since per usual I have other things to get to.  That mineral note is all the stronger; interesting.  It's moving off charcoal, onto being complex, again with plenty of slate.  If someone was averse to this general range they might see this as tasting like a cigarette butt, but for me it's more slate mineral with some charcoal.  

#2:  a new catchy aspect entered in.  Like root beer?  It might also relate to fruit, but to me that new range is centered on root spice more instead.  These both might have a couple of interesting infusions to go.  But I really need to suspend this tasting for now, and I'm not great at picking it all back up in a later second session.  

My wife will go back to Honolulu before too long and I need to go do some clothes shopping for the kids, to fulfill some orders they've placed (for extra pants, and at least one more bucket hat for Kalani).

Conclusions:

I did try more rounds of these, just without taking notes.  They were more similar than they'd been for the first few rounds, maybe with a little more richness, depth, and complexity in the second version.  But they were similar enough that I think people not really dialed in to specific preferences related to Liu Bao might see them as in the same general range.

Considering how I place them later, in reference to my own preferences, earlier on I would've strongly preferred the second version.  It seemed richer, with more complexity and depth, and was going through some interesting transition in later rounds.  But I've come to be able to appreciate what I take to be standard Liu Bao range more.  

The first version is "only" 7 years old, with aging and transition perhaps speeded up a bit by contact with golden flowers (jinhua fungus, which sometimes goes by a scientific name in Western based tea descriptions,  Eurotium Cristatum).  Maybe I'm more open to this style related to recently trying versions of hei cha exposed to this from a different vendor source, Oriental Leaf, in the latest examples as two kind of unusual hybrid hei cha forms.  

This first version did express a slightly more challenging form initially, with heavier slate mineral dominating the flavor profile, but it softened a few rounds in, gaining complexity and better balance.  The second was rich and deep in warm mineral and other flavors from the start, just transitioning to other aspect scope after those few rounds instead.

I suppose I did like the second version more, but there wasn't that much difference.  If value was a main factor buying a good bit of first would lead to a similar positive experience.  But then again that extra depth was nice.  I'm not sure about "will leave you yearning for another blissful moment with this extraordinary Liubao tea" but it did seem to highlight what is most pleasant about higher quality Liu Bao, in versions that are better than one might normally run across.  It's probably also the case that if you buy 22 year old Liu Bao that's been stored in Kunming it would need another decade to fermentation transition to this level.

Not intending to "pick on" Yunnan Sourcing, probably the main Western vendor outlet for pu'er and hei cha, but let's check on the version in the top of their Liu Bao listings that is closest to this in age:

2002 Aged Wild Liu Bao Tea "803" from Guangxi ($69 for 250 grams)

Small artisan produced Wild Liu Bao grown in a remote part of Wuzhou County in Guangxi Province. Expertly processed and then stored for almost 15 years in Guangxi. This tea has been re-packed 500 grams per bamboo basket. The basket is numbered 803.

The tea itself has some camphor, vanilla, and betel notes. The large leaf with stems makes for an interesting and unique aged Liu Bao experience. Highly recommended for those who want to try something aged and unique.

That costs $5.60 cents more, is one year older, and probably hasn't fermentation transitioned as much (given the storage location difference), although spending 15 of those years in slightly more humid Guangxi would help keep it from being as "well preserved."  

it's hard to place the color differences, large leaves, and stem content in the YS version

these leaves are darker (probably good), and more chopped (maybe not as positive)

It could be not nearly as good as these, or perhaps even better; you can't really tell from vendor descriptions, or even customer comments.  Most Yunnan Sourcing comments were about people loving that version, with one guy saying "Good, I drank better but this is quality good."  Per lots of hearsay input Yunnan Sourcing would almost certainly remove any negative comments or low ratings on that site, so it's hard to place what may have been commented but isn't there now.  

I take all this to mean that 20+ year old, exceptional quality options are out there, and $60+ for 250 grams could be a standard market range.  It would be interesting to see how they compare directly.  This "Hilltown" version is among the best Liu Bao I've ever tried, a full quality level beyond what I've tried in the past, other than those two recent versions.  But who knows what that means; maybe I've only tried ordinary versions before that.  I've tried a few from Yunnan Sourcing in the past, probably reviewed 8 or so years ago now, but I probably bought more mid-range, value oriented versions, and of course I can't clearly compare across that kind of time-span.  

Those teas more or less led to me not exploring Liu Bao much more (although I've drank a half a kilogram since, since a friend in Malaysia sent me a good bit of it), but I think for some tea types it takes a critical mass of exploration to really "get it."  I drank sheng pu'er on and off for years before taking it up as a favorite type.  Fu zhuan / Fu brick hei cha I liked more right away, but it can be pleasant and approachable while giving up some complexity, depth, and refinement to teas like these two.  And it seems to help to sort through versions for that, to try a few to get to styles that work best for you.  Once you do experience value in relation to cost can be really positive.

I plan to retry a couple of Fu hei cha style versions from Legend of Tea, essentially the same that I've tried before.  It should be interesting placing them again after all of this recent--in the past 3 months--exposure to varying hei cha versions.

2022 Tea China Liu Bao compared with a 2004 Legend of Tea version

Tea China version right, in all photos (both are so dark, right?)

I'm reviewing a Tea China Liu Bao tea, from a set that I've already tried a 7542 from (Dayi sheng pu'er).  Of course the 7542 was pretty much what I expected, except for it seeming to pick up a bit of smoke somehow.  I should add that this tea was a sample sent for review; many thanks for that.

This version I'm using for comparison, from Legend of Tea, I've reviewed before, a "Hilltown Tea" producer version, reviewed here.  It's quite good, so this isn't supposed to be an easy challenge, for the other to compare well to it.  There are other Liu Bao versions in the Legend of Tea set I haven't got to yet; I've fallen a bit behind in reviews.

The earlier Tea China information was a little limited, but then for it being Dayi 7542 it didn't need that much introduction.  This is what this tea is:

2022,GuYun01 Aroma Aged Liubao Tea

This sells for around $20 for 100 grams, or $30 for 200 grams.  It seems better to bump volume, given that discount rate.  20 cents a gram is a bit for Liu Bao (with pricing always varying along with quality and availability), and 15 cents a gram naturally sounds better.  Their description:

This aged aroma Liubao Tea GuYun01 is an exclusive product of Teayucafe Teachina, is steeped in heritage. Hailing from the very birthplace of Liubao dark tea, this 2022 vintage has been aged gracefully for 3 years to develop its remarkable character. Has enormous potential for aging

Taste Profile

It boasts a rich, earthy aroma that is characteristic of well-aged Liubao tea. The infusion presents a deep, reddish-brown hue, reflecting its quality. On the palate, it offers a smooth, mellow taste that lingers, embodying the classic “red, thick, aged, mellow” traits.

I'll add a spoiler here and mention that it's a more pre-fermented version of Liu Bao.  That can be a very good thing, depending on results, but I suppose personal preference always factors in.  To me, related to my own preference, young, harsher Liu Bao is generally not so nice, and it takes 10 to 15 years for versions that are more "raw," more matching sheng pu'er in that vaguely related divide, to mellow out and soften.

This is Legend of Tea information:

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.

That's 26 cents a gram, but again it's a different kind of thing.  It's actually from 2004, now 21 years old.  It's problematic for vendors to cite age like that in their descriptions because they'd need to go back and edit that page every year to keep it accurate.  Not a big deal though.  It may not be that we can call this completely fermented, or fully fermentation transitioned, but 21 years is a good start on that.

Review:

Legend of Tea 1 (a rinse, really; I'll taste it, write notes, and discard most):  definitely in Liu Bao range, heavy on that one set of minerals, a touch of pine, and medicinal herbs.  It's good.  It might "clean up a little" over the next round or two; it's not really musty, but there's a less clean sort of range sort of adjoining the mineral tone.  Mineral is like slate, I guess, or alternatively and less positively you could describe it as like cement block or still-curing cement.  It's fine though, not bad, not negative at all.

Tea China version:  interesting!  Flavors are less intense, but there's a depth to this.  I thought that it would probably not stand up well in comparison, and that may still be the result, but so far so good, even though flavor is less intense.  Tones are warmer.  This is probably more pre-fermented?  Or it could be older; the other I think is a 2011 version, which I'll confirm by checking the Chinese language packaging image later.  It's presented in a small box, which does list Hilltown Tea Company, Liu Bao Tea, and a packing date of December 2024, but that's not the tea production date.  [later edit:  I was remembering the wrong date, from having looked up a version that it turned out not to be during that first review; it's from 2004].

I think this is the shou / shu pu'er equivalent for Liu Bao tea, which is fine.  I could be clearer on how close the processing steps are to sheng for the less pre-fermented Liu Bao versions.  It's definitely not the same, but it's a gap in what I've researched before.  Or actually I have read a bit on it, but not everything sticks in my mind now.  I skimmed through a good reference in an older Global Tea Hut magazine, which I should have already mentioned elsewhere, but that I can link to again here.

That December 2017 Global Tea Hut issue is here; I really need to read through that.

Legend of Tea #2:  I'm brewing these fast because I'm using a really high proportion, brewing the entire 7 or 8 grams both vendors sent as samples.  Using half as much would be fine for Liu Bao, stretching out times a little.  Or maybe better.  

The picture for these I used as the initial image, and it's really dark, even though these brewed for not much longer than 10 seconds.  Later it turned out that this Legend of Tea version really is from 2004, so it aged a good bit to darken brewed liquid appearance, and the Tea China version really is more pre-fermented, more "ripe."  The Legend of Tea vendor is based in Malaysia; that could be a huge factor.  Teas ferment much, much faster here in Bangkok than when stored pretty much anywhere in Yunnan, and Malaysian climate is pretty close to here.

That distinctive set of flavors is pronounced in this, in a well-balanced and pleasant form.  This is Google AI's description of that list, which I'm forgetting part of:

Traditional Liu Bao tea flavors include the distinctive betel nut aroma, along with woody, medicinal, honey, jujube, fungal, ginseng, and pine smoke aromas. The unique "golden flower" (a healthy mold) can also contribute a sweeter taste and is considered a sign of quality.  

I'm not so sure about the golden flower part; that seems to come up more in other hei cha.  Betel nut was what I was forgetting; that's hard to place because I've never tried it.  Maybe I have some limited idea of what that's about from trying teas described in that way, or maybe not.  Jujube is quite familiar; that's Chinese date, usually referenced as the dried version.  It's great.  That's a part of my favorite Chinese originated desert here, a mix of dried fruit and beans with ground ice and longan juice.  Candied lotus is especially pleasant in that, and the beans are better than they sound.

Pine is definitely present, and mineral herb, which I guess could be in the ginseng range (that's familiar, but I've not had the brewed root version for quite awhile).  Wood, I'm not sure.  Mineral one could go on about, trying to narrow down.  It's not completely different than the warm, odd flavor of golden flowers, one part, which includes a yeast sort of flavor, and other range.

Legend of Tea:  this tastes a lot like shou / shu pu'er.  I'd guess that it's Liu Bao, tasting it blind, so not exactly like that, but much closer than the other.  The whole list I've just described for the other one might identify as secondary supporting elements, so it's complex.  But that distinctive warm and rich tone of shou is present, and earthier sort of range, like peat, or dark wood.  This is fairly clean, balanced, and complex, better than I thought it might be.  

Lots of Liu Bao versions are edgy, heavy in mineral, a little too far into cement range.  The complexity can be limited, and a mustiness can enter in.  These warm tones are only present in more fermented versions, which I think can relate to pre-fermentation.  Even though the other is from 2011, probably, that warmth hasn't developed to that level yet, and maybe it never will [later edit:  it's from 2004; being 21 years old it seems even more likely that the tones will only ever become so "warm."] 

Legend of Tea #3:  not transitioning too much, but then I'm using fairly fast infusion times for these, just a 10 second or so brew.  It's probably brewing more within the still damp leaves between rounds than during that 10 seconds, and it's just long enough to get the somewhat dissolved solids to extract out.

What to add?  This is clean, complex, well-balanced, and it has good depth.  Sweetness is fine; it's not really a sweet type of tea, but there's enough for it to balance.  The flavors list is right, in a type-typical range.  Feel is rich, and it expresses some aftertaste.  It's clearly pretty good.  

It's hard for me to put Liu Bao on a scale, as I could with some other types, but I've kept trying it over the last decade.  I've drank about a kilogram of it in that time, probably, even though it's not really a personal favorite.  It's a great tea to have with food, and sometimes you just feel like certain experiences.  And a friend passed on a lot of it, a Malaysian pen-pal friend I've mentioned lots of times here.  I should check in with him again.

Tea China:  this does transition a little; that dried fruit note is coming out, as close as anything to jujube (dried Chinese date).  I'm surprised that this essentially holds its own with the other version.  I didn't lack faith in Tea China's sourcing, it's more that Liu Bao is often not this good.  It's standard to run across harsh-edged, less fermented versions, that are fine after 15 years of settling.  Unless I'm way off, which could happen, this has been pre-fermented, so it wouldn't need nearly that long to shine.  But if Liu Bao is like shou then it would need 2 or 3 years for the funkier range flavors from fermentation to settle back out, a range that can vary a lot (peat, petroleum, etc.).  

I tried a standard brick version of a factory shou once that tasted unusually strong of petroleum, thinking that it was ok, but not the best experience, and then a couple of years later that dropped out, and it was creamy, rich, complex, expressing flavors across a different earthy and warm range.  Then that vendor had went out of business, a Tae Tea / Dayi outlet, selling some other range, so I couldn't buy more.  I don't think that was Dayi or CNNP (Tae Tea or Zhong Cha); another producer instead.

It's hard to judge if this completely different range is better or worse.  It's just different; I think that kind of subjective interpretation would relate to preference.  Quality is pretty good for both.  The first definitely matches what one might expect of Liu Bao better, but a shou pu'er drinker would probably love the second more.  It's not as if there is no pine, related mineral edge, and medicinal herb in this, it's just focused more on warmer range, now into dried fruit.

This has been a lot of tea to drink.  I threw out half the first round, treating it as a rinse, but still 5 cups of relatively intense Liu Bao is a lot.  I broke form and ate a relatively neutral pastry along with these, which I think is a natural fit for Liu Bao, to have it with food.  Anything with strong flavor will throw off a tasting, but it can definitely help your stomach to either eat first or along with the tea.  I'm rushing reviewing now, trying to "catch up" a bit.

Completely another tangent, I just started eating (or drinking) the infused goji berry I have every morning, another part of that Chinese dessert I mentioned.  It would be a natural segue way to say that one of these teas tastes like this, but the second really is closer to Chinese date (jujube).  So why mention these berries?  There's a chance that I'm typing this out not wearing reading glasses, which I don't need or use, because of the dietary input of zeaxanthin and beta carotene from those berries, in part (since I'm pretty far into middle age now).  Lutein is also associate with eye health, but then I already eat a lot of leafy green vegetables, which is normal in Thailand.  

Conclusions:

Most of it is already in the notes.  It's interesting that the comparison version is that much older than I thought, 21 years old now.  This Tea China version is 3; it might settle and improve more over the next 2 or 3 or so, but I wouldn't expect it to change that much in the decade after that.  That's just a guess though, and I've not drank that much "ripe" style Liu Bao for it to be a good guess.

It might seem like as a sheng pu'er drinker I would strongly prefer the first, from Legend of Tea, for being closer to that in theme, if not aspects and style.  I might have liked it a little more, but it was pretty close, for me.  I just don't love Liu Bao enough for that type-typical, somewhat aged range to really stand out to me.  It's good; that seems clear.  I can appreciate it.  But I'm more on a young or moderately aged sheng pu'er page just now for main preference.  That's a complicated subject, and it makes it sound like I'd prefer 10 year old sheng, which of course is not true at all, related to a very different set of transition patterns applying to sheng pu'er.

I tend to emphasize value, in some posts, and then let it mostly drop in others.  These two seem to be priced fairly, for what the teas are.  The other being older, and a "raw" type version seems to probably relate to a natural higher selling point.  It's not so easy to find good "ripe" Liu Bao versions, per what I've experienced (which of course is a bit random), but unaged teas tend to sell for less, given the opportunity and storage costs of keeping a tea around for 21 years. 

This comparison worked out better than I'd hoped.  I was just worried the Tea China version might not compare well, because the other version is pretty far up the scale for Liu Bao experiences I've had, but it turned out to be different in style, and also quite pleasant.