Liu Bao comparison tasting, 2004 and late teens versions

 

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.

Tea Side 2021 "Chocolate Noir" small batch shu pu'er

 

I've written about Tea Side small batch shu / shou pu'er before.  It was exceptional.  Valerie of Tea Side recently mentioned finding some of an old batch that is also exceptional.  "Old" here means 4 years old; that's always relative.  A year or two is plenty to air out most shu, to get most of the fermentation effects to settle.  In some cases longer might make a positive difference.  Four years is definitely suitable.

The backstory:  Tea Side experimented with making small-batch, basket fermented shu some years ago.  Typical shu processing involves wet-piling a lot of tea, maybe tons, in a large room environment.  Small batch shu isn't unheard of; they definitely didn't invent that theme.  In theory it can produce very novel results, where larger batch processing is oriented towards achieving a standardized positive result.

I considered tasting this in comparison with another exceptional shu version, which might have shed more light on it, but to save time and keep this simple I won't.  Maybe I can refer to the other range of shu I've tried from memory.  I've reviewed a couple of very exceptional versions this year, one from Vietnam (really an anomaly), and another a great version from Farmerleaf, of course a Yunnan pu'er.  

[Later edit:  this was distinctive enough that comparing it to other versions or making general quality level assessments didn't seem so relevant, so I didn't].

Review:

1:  yep, there is dark chocolate.  Impressions and interpretations can vary, so maybe someone could make it through a whole tasting without placing that, but when you expect that it stands out quite a bit.  This is roughly as good as shu tends to get, sweet, complex, and balanced.  It will pick up intensity on the second round, once it's fully wetted, but it's already good.  Of course there is a pronounced mineral layer beneath the dark chocolate / cacao.  I'll save the rest of the breakdown for next round.

Sometimes I don't mention parameters, but I might as well.  Of course I've not measured an amount, but this looks to be 7 or so grams to me, a good bit, but not maxed out for a 100 ml gaiwan.  Water is hot, but not full boiling point, since I'm using a filtered version that is heated by a hot water dispenser, which wouldn't quite make it to that temperature.  Transferring it through a thermos would drop out a little more heat.  I brewed that for 15 seconds or so, and this next round a little longer, although shorter would also work. 

2:  Marshmallow really ramps up in this.  I've encountered that a half dozen or so times in trying teas, and it's pretty much always really pleasant, as nice an herbal input as one generally encounters.  To me this tastes more like marshmallow than cacao / chocolate at this point, but both are there.  I've included some background on the plant input that marshmallow is copying, or originally included, which is exactly what you'd expect, the root of a plant that grows in marshes used to make a candy version similar to but different from our modern marshmallow form.  If memory serves it was used more as a thickener than for the taste, but both could be pleasant together.

The flavor list seems a bit short, even though this comes across as complex.  It includes marshmallow, cacao, and limited dark-toned mineral.  Some of those warm tones resemble a really light roasted coffee.  Of course it's not bitter, astringent, or harsh in any way, instead smooth and rich.  Sweetness level is nice; the rest combines better for that being present.

3:  I'm brewing this a bit faster, around 15 seconds, mostly to experience variation, if that comes up.  One thing I might've already mentioned is that there is a particular sweetness and flavor to clumps of tea that form in the wet-piling process, called cha tou, or tea heads, and this resembles that particular sweetness and flavor.  For people who haven't tried that it wouldn't necessarily be informative, but if you like shu it should make your list of things to get to.  

There isn't that much variation in shu to try, so I'll list out what I see as other types or themes here.  Small-batch versions can be different, like this one.  High buds content versions taste different, and can be pleasant, sometimes referred to as Gong Ting grade, or imperial or palace grade.  Aged lower fermentation level shu is another type that is valued, often sold as CNNP / Zhongcha versions from the late 90s or early 2000s, usually as bricks instead of cakes.  There are lots of claims about gushu shu, or versions made from desirable material locations, even up to range like Bing Dao, but those claims can be hard to place.  One might try something offered as from a decent Jing Mai source, and let the more exotic range go, since it could be fake more often than real.

This round is slightly less intense for being brewed faster but it's still quite intense.  Aftertaste expression actually increases, for whatever reason, and it might seem a little sweeter.  Thickness of feel and complexity drop a little, brewed less strong.  Flavor range doesn't vary so much; only the balance or proportions of the prior list shift.  Marshmallow is really strong, but that was probably true last round too.

There may be one type-typical description of the cha tou / tea clumps / tea heads standard flavor that I'm missing, a different way to place that.  It's so bright, sweet, and complex that it leans a little towards tangerine flavor, but it's definitely not that.  Like vanilla?  That seems to work better.

4:  Not so different, but a bit more intense and complex.  Since I'm describing this as tasting like cacao and marshmallow one might wonder if it tastes like a s'more.  It does.  I don't think much of the graham cracker carries over, but that's probably still open to interpretation.  

This is already about as much as I'm going to interpret, without trying another half dozen rounds to explain later stage transitions, which would occur.  This already covers the basic, early infusions, main flavors.  Earthy range will probably pick up as this needs to be stretched a bit more to get the same intensity.  Brighter, lighter cacao and marshmallow should keep fading, but probably not that much over the next 3 or 4 rounds, only in the later stage.

As for conclusions, it's pretty good.  The way they describe it works; it's distinctive, complex, pleasant, and exceptional.  It's as good as shu gets.  Related to value or fair cost range people would have to place that for themselves; options and pricing ranges vary from different kinds of vendors.  

It's hard for me to relate to the very highest quality and most distinctive style range of shu, or for that matter for any tea type.  Different versions out there, of different types, sell for $1 a gram or more, but typical shu range is at the opposite extreme, or more in the middle for the best versions.  It's interesting checking Tea Side's listing and seeing where it falls, and how they describe it:

2021 “Chocolate Noir II: A Long-Forgotten Stash” Craft Ripe Pu-erh Tea ($22 for 50 grams)

This shou pu-erh I crafted from old Thai trees, averaging around 300 years in age—the very same material I always used for "Raspberry Pine." The fermentation was completed on December 5, 2021. And the tea then went off into aging to develop the right, well-rounded profile.

Over the following year, I checked in on it regularly, but wasn’t quite happy with the flavor. So I shelved the box higher up in our warehouse and, honestly, forgot about it. After 3.5 years of storage, it resurfaced during an inventory check—and now, I’m completely satisfied with the profile.

This tea unfolds gradually, requiring water as hot as you can get it, and a generous steeping time. We didn’t separate tea heads from loose leaves: the leaves infuse fast, while the heads maintain excellent steeping durability.

The dry aroma is classic—slightly salty, woody. Once rinsed, the scent transforms into soft, sweet woodiness, with notes of chocolate and raspberry jam.

The flavor profile is smooth, dense, and even: teak wood, a solid chocolate body, and a pleasant coffee-like bitterness finishing each sip.

This shou distinctly recalls our “Chocolate Noir”, which was produced later, from different material and slight adjustments in processing. Over years of aging, the raspberry-berry nuances have faded, replaced by a harmonious, rounded fusion of chocolate and wood. However, if your nose is keen, you might still detect faint traces of berry jam in its fragrance.

The aftertaste is lovely: like a childhood chocolate candy, with the gentlest touch of coffee.

It probably would've been better using the hottest possible water, instead of in the 90-some C range, as I brewed it.

It's interesting that I did mention chocolate (also in the marketing) and coffee in this, leaving out reference to jam or dried fruit, and adding that it tasted a good bit like marshmallow to me, and maybe just a little like vanilla.  Interpretations would always vary; that's normal.  The general impression seems about the same.

If someone was open to spending nearly 50 cents a gram on a shu I guess this version might justify that as well as any.  It's probably as good as any shu version I've ever tried, and I've tried a lot, some presented as exceptional.  Still it's just shu.  I never could relate to people focusing on that type range as a primary preference, but then preferences do vary.  

Even for people not so interested in the type it might make sense to buy a little to see what the high end / most distinctive range is all about.  I probably wouldn't, but then having a tight tea budget narrows a lot of choices down to very few.  I wouldn't buy sheng for 40-some cents a gram either, and that kind of offering is a lot more common.

A pleasant tea meetup with a nice tasting lineup

 

only 5 of the 7 who attended; I forgot to take the picture earlier

Friends gathered at our house again to try some teas, probably the last of a series of a half-dozen somewhat related meetups.  Three meetups were held where I live (in Bangkok, for now, in Honolulu soon), or four, if you also count a couple of friends dropping by in January (visit vs. meetup; not so different).  

To me those are mostly about the people joining experiencing the teas, and appreciating interacting with others, more than a formal tasting theme.  I could have said ten times as much about the teas, at the cost of most of that interaction dropping out.  Even doubling the limited information and input would shift the tone, from a friendly gathering of friends to more of an educational experience.  That's fine too, but when people first meet each other it's better if they can chat a good bit, and people joining has always included some of them repeating and some being new arrivals.  To me it's important for them to be able to express themselves, and for it to be about all of them, more than the teas.  I don't find myself as interesting because I already know those stories.

Interacting with the people was as pleasant as the teas, or more so for me, because I've already tried those teas.  But the teas themselves were exceptional, interesting for different reasons, and more of a sensible tasting theme or pattern emerged this time.  We talked more about whatever tangents came up, and our own backgrounds.  One person had traveled a lot (and many participants have been nomads throughout the various meetups), another was coming to tea from a drink-mixing background, and one was a long-term local resident working in freelance writing, with a diverse background.  So fascinating!  

Two friends I keep meeting are teachers, who alternate working and traveling, with one working on finishing a Master's thesis now.  One friend in attendance, who I've met a couple of times, is a Zen meditation instructor, although we didn't seem to get into that part so much.  That might not be an easy subject to say just a little about.  As usual people were from all over:  the US, Canada, Germany, and Italy, with a longer list of where they've also lived.

This writing is more about the teas instead; I won't summarize the rest about all that.  Mentioning what the teas were, and adding reference links, would help them see what we had tried again, and to me the sequence was interesting.  We keep trying different patterns of experiences, beyond generally moving from lighter to heavier tea character range.  This struck a balance between that kind of pattern and generally just trying what I like, with a secondary focus on the teas being novel.  It worked.

1.  Mao Feng Qimen, Chinese black tea (from Dylan Conroy of the Sweetest Dew, not reviewed, but here are other related versions reviewed):  I missed trying the last sample Dylan had sent of exceptional Qimen, and this was a good time to get to it.  

More ordinary Qimen is just another standard commercial black tea, but versions do vary.  I guess this was made from the plant type used to make Mao Feng, a main green tea type (or at least that seems to make the most sense).  It was heavy on buds, quite refined, complex, and pleasant in flavor, including cacao and a bit of soft malt.  It's not light in the sense that a rolled oolong would be, but the warm tone doesn't make it a challenging tea, and I didn't feel like starting all the way "back" at green tea or light rolled oolong, even though I have those around.  I like black teas better, and I wanted to get on to more sheng pu'er tasting this time.

not that tea, but two other exceptional Qimen from Dylan

2.  Dian Hong (Yunnan) style Thai black tea from Aphiwat, a 2024 version, from wild origin material (reviewed here, with a contact link to the producer here).  This is a tea I've been drinking regularly for awhile, and one we've tried in another tasting version, or maybe even two of them.  It's a lot like Dian Hong tend to be:  complex in flavor, expressing a lot of positive range (cacao, etc.), with good mineral depth, and good balance.  Part of the range could seem to include sourness to some (Huyen didn't really like it, or Dian Hong in general), but I love it.  

It's funny how I'm a bit put off by tartness in a black tea, but one leaning a little towards a sour range is still fine.  To me you wouldn't normally make this connection in trying this tea (seeing it as sour), but when you think about it that kind of works, and for people only adjusted to trying variety Sinensis black tea versions the difference could be off-putting, as it is for Huyen.  I just had it with breakfast, on the day I'm editing this; it's also great with food.

that Thai black tea

3.  local Vietnamese sheng (2024 from Quang Tom, reviewed here):  I love this tea!  I loved the 2023 version, and this 2024 version might be a little better.  It's quite oxidized, which is strange for sheng in general, but not so unusual for SE Asian versions.  According to Seth--mentioned in this blog many times, someone who looks into Vietnamese teas a lot, and researches them along with Huyen--that might be a normal step for Vietnamese sheng processing.  I've talked to this producer and it's intentional.

A tea version essentially in between sheng and black tea probably wouldn't age well, past just changing a little over a couple of years, but if those first years are positive enough that doesn't matter.  I drank a 2023 cake version pretty fast, and I'd drink this 2024 cake I own faster, but it's the second one I bought, and I don't want it to go as fast as the first did.  Tones are warmer than for conventional sheng, of course, and bitterness and astringency are limited, but plenty of fruit stands out.  It helps to push it just a bit to get the intensity up to the normal crazy sheng level, but you can push it as much as you want, since there is nothing negative to brew around.

2023 was pressed a little too hard (left), but the 2024 form is perfect

4.  Viet Sun Son La Vietnamese sheng (2023 version, reviewed here):  I really like this tea too; it's also the second cake I'm on for this same version.  I don't mind the repetition at all, or that I've been drinking Thai sheng from Aphiwat over and over as well.  I try plenty related to the blog review theme, and it's nice drinking favorites beyond that.  It helps keep my tea budget moderate too, but this cake is in the normal price range, I think, probably listing for around $80 now ($77; I checked during editing).  I bought it for one price increase less than that a year ago, and also the year before, so I think it's worth it. 

It's a bit more challenging than the first sheng we tried; it includes conventional sheng bitterness and astringency, just not the most ordinary flavor range.  To me it expresses more fruit than floral tones.  It made for a nice tasting sequence already, bridging from two types of black tea onto a hybrid sheng, then one that's more conventional, but not necessarily completely standard related to most Yunnan forms.

the Son La Viet Sun cake

5.  Man Xi 2008 sheng pu'er sample:  (finally back to using that second term)  I don't know what this is, or who gave me this; I grabbed about 20 teas from samples or favorites that we might try, and aged sheng somehow fit at this time.  Another I almost brewed instead was slightly older "factory" tea, a numbered CNNP or Taetea version (if I checked the number again I'd know; if it ends in 1 that's CNNP / Zhongcha and 2 that's Taetea / Menghai Tea Factory), as Google's AI explains:

First two digits: The year the recipe was developed

Third digit: The grade of the raw tea leaves, or maocha. The scale ranges from 0 to 9, with 0 being the smallest and 9 being the largest

Fourth digit: The factory that produced the tea

For example, a tea cake with the recipe number 7542 was developed in 1975 and made with fourth-grade tea leaves by the Menghai Tea Factory. The Menghai Tea Factory is one of the most famous producers of Pu'erh tea in China. 

Somehow it seemed likely this would be more of a boutique range version, which can be interesting, and definitely more refined.  It was like that.  I know no background related to this version or that area, but I'll cite a source describing another tea that might parallel it, or it might not:

Our 2007 Organic Manxi Mountain Raw Pu’er Cake uses sun-dried Shaiqinmao tea leaves (Yunnan big-leaf variety) from ancient tea trees grown on the organic tea plantations of the Manxi Mountain area. It is produced by Fuhai Tea Factory in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

The Manxi Mountain area is located at the Sino-Burmese border in the district of Daluo Town, Menghai County. It features a large group of very old large-leaf tea trees, planted by the Blang people over 500 years ago.

People keep buying aged sheng to find versions like this one, unless they really need super high complexity and intensity, as factory versions exhibit, if they don't mind rough edges that can go with those others.  Or this more refined version is another type of offering, more subtle, but potentially still well-balanced, or other 25 year old teas in a broader range might have settled but haven't faded.

Some aged sheng does just fade, if the type isn't suitable for this 17 year old, relatively transitioned range, but the intensity in this was ok, pretty good.  Not necessarily on the high side for intensity; it was quite drinkable and refined, but also a bit subdued.  Tones could've been a little warmer; maybe it hadn't been in wet storage for a lot of that time, which tends to emphasize that.  

For us not really focusing in on those teas as much as we might have I don't think most people picked up on just how good this tea was (although one person mentioned it), but that's all relative anyway.  I thought it was a bit exceptional, based on patterns of my own expectations, related to prior experience.  But then I also commented how I liked a 2006 Xiaguan 8653 version more, one we tried together two weeks ago, even though we all agreed it had a strong "barnyard" taste.  A clean version of that, mind you, like horse saddle, not like aged barn or manure smell.

that cake, which I really like, commonly sold in lots of outlets (the Xiaguan, not Man Xi)

6.  Oriental Leaf Fu "brick" (cake) hei cha (from 2020), with golden flowers (reviewed here, with the vendor page here; I think this was the Fengqing version, not the Lincang origin one):

This was quite a shift, moving from pretty good aged sheng on to novel hei cha.  That adds a lot of rough edges and rustic tone, but this tea type is pleasant, and interesting.

The golden flowers input is positive, and pleasant, while definitely unusual, related to most other tea experience.  It's hard to describe; it's a little like yeasty, fresh baked bread, just not exactly like that.  Maybe it leans toward floral and spice range at the same time, while based on warm tones.  While trying the next round, the one after this, I kept this tea brewing to try a really strong infusion version, and that was completely different, still approachable, but almost shockingly intense, heavy on mineral layer and those other flavors.

lots of mold on that Fu cake, which is considered a good thing

7.  1991 Thai (Wawee) Liu Bao:  (from a friend, so there is no link or review of this) aged tea is interesting, how it picks up depth, and smooths out any rough edges that were ever present.  For powering through a half dozen teas prior to this, and not slowing the pace, probably that novelty and depth didn't really come across so clearly.  

This seemed like pretty good aged Liu Bao, how those should be, expressing that set of typical interesting and complementary flavors.  It tasted like Liu Bao, just an aged-mellowed version of one, as it should have.  To me prior to relatively complete aging Liu Bao a harsher edge and flavor like cement blocks can stand out, but this had moved past that, to the extent it ever included it.

8.  2024 Na Lang Laos sheng, from Farmerleaf (reviewed here, with the vendor page here):  this is a recent favorite, shared by William Osmont on his somewhat recent visit here.  It's really good, probably the best Laos sheng that I've tried, and I've probably tried at least 15 versions of that.  It's bright, positive in flavor range, well balanced, clean, complex, and intense.  A couple of people noted that it was their favorite so far in the tasting (so overall, it being the last one), and it was mine as well.  

It was interesting moving from light to heavy across that whole sequence, and then back-tracking to this version, and upping the quality level a little at the same time.  Those other teas were already good, good examples of those types.  But dynamic, intense, and balanced sheng is something else.  

Surely there is other sheng out there that can seem to take the next step in different directions; I've had versions like that, some from those highly desirable origins, and others from more ordinary places, that just happened to be really good.  It was interesting hearing people try to place what aspects or character made this different, and that good.  Interpretations always vary, and it's not as if one could be objectively right more than any other (although it can seem like that to some).

the Farmerleaf Na Lang Laos sheng

It was a good place to leave off.  8 versions is a lot of tea, and we weren't tasting the first 2 or 3 infusions, and moving on, we were really drinking the teas.  I brewed all that in a 200 ml gaiwan, stacking (mixing) infusions every time, either 2 or 3, usually 3, so we lost a little in terms of noticing transition sequences, but gained ground in keeping up a pace, and just drinking some tea.  Even drinking 4 more isolated infusions of each--not mixing them, and only drinking a little--would relate to 32 rounds in total.  The tasting ran long, but not as long as that approach would have taken, more like 4 hours instead of the planned 3.

Snacks worked out well too; there is a good bakery not far from our house (Little Home), and what they produce is often made in small item forms that work well, tiny croissants filled with sausage, small cream puffs and egg tarts, and so on.  You can't really drink a good bit of 8 versions of tea, and many of those intense versions at that, without that sort of adjustment, eating something to offset it.  One person brought a mango, and pistachios; those sorts of inputs are nice to add variety.

It made for a nice experience, both related to all those teas and focus on conversation and appreciating the rest of the group together.

one of the earlier meetups, with Huyen and Seth at the bottom (who I kept mentioning)

Farmerleaf Na Lang Laos sheng pu'er

This is the sheng pu'er version I talked about, I think, that I tried with William and cited in the last post about meeting him, a Spring 2024 Na Lang from Laos.

Since I've already introduced this tea I'm going to strip down these tasting notes to what it seemed like to me, removing a lot of the speculation or tangents.  I'll add a little back in with the conclusions, but this will work well kept shorter, without the usual rambling on.  This is William's site description (part of it):

Spring 2024, medium-big trees from forested gardens (listing for $140 per 357 gram cake)

Na Lang village, Nyot Ou District, Laos

A powerful Yiwu-style tea with great endurance 

This is typically the kind of tea you would find in Gua Feng Zhai for twice the price. The point of this tea is not the fragrance, but the good thickness in the soup and the deep Huigan. 

Considering the renown of Yiwu tea, and the high prices its tea fetch, it is not surprising that many tea traders cross the border to Laos and source tea from Nyot Ou district. As a result, most of the tea made in Nyot Ou is bought by tea producers from Yiwu.

Tea grows in the forests of Nyot Ou district along two valleys. The Southern valley is connected to Gua Feng Zhai village through a small road. The environment in which tea grows is similar in Eastern Yiwu and in the two tea producing valleys of Nyot Ou District. Ancient tea trees grow along more recently established gardens in the forests.

from the Farmerleaf site product page

That's a common, well-known theme, that lots of tea from lots of places goes back to China to become pu'er.  I skipped the "pu'er-like tea" limitation earlier, the admission that the type is a regionally limited designation, only applying to teas from Yunnan.  That's a bit absurd, isn't it, given that context, that any tea from Laos, Vietnam, or Myanmar (and less from Thailand) that crosses the border, and is mis-represented in terms of origin, sort of is and also isn't pu'er?  And a very considerable volume of tea undergoes this transition, far more than is ever sold as Laos tea.

It's the best of both worlds for Chinese producers and vendors; they can dismiss those origin area teas as separate and inferior, and then buy them and resell those same teas as the upgraded local version, simply by blending and then mis-labeling them.  Let's move on to how this tea is.

I never do address whether this is like Yiwu or not, a claim made in this description.  I've experienced relatively consistent character in trying a reasonable amount of Yiwu, but it's my impression that I've not experienced a lot more than I've tried, especially related to distinctive versions and higher quality levels.  So I'll just describe what I am experiencing.

I think it makes sense for vendors to never mention much about flavor range.  It would vary over time, and even more so in relation to varying interpretations.  In this review I mention it seeming to taste different when trying this same tea two different times, and I speculate about why that is, real factors that could've changed what I experienced, not just the interpretation.  

William's description doesn't even include a general flavor reference, like "floral," and again I see that as reasonable.  To some it would seem floral, and to others fruity, and different factors could change the compound inputs that these are based on.  It's fine as long as a description can pass on enough range description to draw interest, or inform in some other way.

Review:

First infusion:  a little light, but that's a good way to start, brewing the first round fast to get an initial sense, and letting the second be more typical of the rest.  Flavor is good; quite catchy.  There's a pine-like aspect that others could interpret related to other vegetal range, but only a little.  A fruity tone is something else, on towards juicyfruit gum, or back in the range of natural flavors not really tied to just one, but not so far off tangerine.  Feel is nice; it has some structure, already, but that doesn't seem to track towards being unapproachable.

I've already tried this tea, so this isn't the blind tasting approach I typically use.  I know where this is going, and this tea version is pretty exceptional.  I'll fill in more of an aspects list next round.  

It's completely whole leaf material, not too compressed, so it would be easy to drink it unbroken, but I used some from the parts that had already split off in this tasting, more broken material.  Maybe that's not ideal, but I suppose it's a normal real-life experience form.  I hadn't thought it through getting it ready; depending on how focused in I am I might use the broken material also in the wrapper or carefully separate off some relatively whole leaves.

Second infusion:  that catchy fruit related tone really pops in a stronger round.  Bitterness and astringency really ramp up too; those would be more moderate if someone was more careful about not breaking the leaves.  

The bit of pine, or however that vegetal edge is interpreted, integrates wonderfully with the sweetness, bitterness, fruit tone, and background floral range.  

Intensity is good; I supposed based on what I said in the post about talking with William I should comment on that.  It's not by way of harsh aspects being dominant either; in better quality cakes strong sweetness, bitterness, feel, and positive flavors really stand out.  This is really clean in overall effect; it's not as if young sheng tends to be murky, or to taste like a cinderblock, as comes up more with Liu Bao, but there can be an emergent sort of impression of clarity and cleanness, or lack of that.  

This doesn't seem completely identical to when I first tried it with William.  It was exceptional then, and it is now, but minor inputs can vary, shifting the outcome.  I'm using water from a hot water dispenser and filtration system, so it's not at full boiling point; that changes things.  It's a different version of water.  This leaf is little more broken, as I've mentioned.  We drank this tea in the middle of trying a half dozen versions; that can affect impression and memory.  It seemed to include more bright floral range in that tasting, leaning towards bright citrus, and it probably did, based on those differences. 

Third infusion:  the tone seems to be warming.  It had warmth and depth before, but it's evolving to include a lot of that.  The leaf color is mixed, including some darker range, making me wonder if somehow oxidation level didn't vary a little in this initially.  How?  I'll add more about one thing William said in the conclusions, that might have entered in.

I personally love that effect, when sweetness, flavor complexity, and slight warmth gives a young sheng a much more approachable character.  I suppose people could be mixed on how they relate to that input and effect.  

I'm not doing justice to what I take to be a fruit tone.  It's not so far off dried mango, which surely isn't all one thing, since there are lots of kinds of mangos.  That one flavor input is positive, but it's how it integrates with the rest that works well.  It's intense and refined enough, which can be hard to place within the entire sheng range, or in relation to higher quality versions, or typical Yiwu styles. 

I didn't mention that the intensity carries over to aftertaste experience.  That almost goes without saying, but not completely.

Fourth infusion:  now that warm, sweet aspect tastes more like dried apricot to me, so much so that I'm questioning my earlier interpretations.  It's a lot like apricot, a pretty direct match.  It's quite delicious.  There is plenty of astringency and bitterness to balance it, but it's a quite approachable tea, at the same time.  Someone being more careful than I was to not break the leaves would moderate those parts just a little.

Intensity is so good, and flavors so fresh and bright, that it seems this will go on forever.  It won't; based on trying an earlier cycle this will make a lot of infusions, using the high proportion that's my default, but eventually flavors will thin and bitterness will play a different role.  It's great while it lasts though, which is for awhile.  The bitterness and sweetness stays in your mouth after you drink it, along with that fruit flavor, adding some extra exposure to appreciate.

Fifth infusion:  it's not transitioning all that much, which is as well, because I'm running out of patience for making these notes anyway.  Feel might become richer; that's an interesting shift, for this stage.  It has had pretty good feel structure for this whole cycle, but it gains just a little richness, towards a pleasant sappy feel.  To me that one interesting and positive fruit note integrating with the rest well is the main story, with other range playing a supporting role.  

Conclusions:

It's good, very intense, refined, pleasant, interesting, well-balanced, and so on.  I can't place it in relation to Yiwu range, but this probably is the best Laos sheng I've ever tried, and it might be about the 15th version I've tried.  The warm fruit range was interesting.  Floral tones are often dominant, across a lot of sheng range.  Versions can transition quite a bit, aging over even 9 months or so, but this was quite warm and fruity, and a year of aging input wouldn't cause that.

Back to that oxidation input issue:  William had said that if a producer backs off the kill-green completeness even a little (if I'm remembering this part right) that the stems can not be as fully fixed (compounds inactivated).  Then these can turn redder, more oxidized, as the tea dries, shifting the final character.  Maybe that happened in this?  It would explain the darker colors in some of the material, and also those heavier tones, the fruit range versus the floral, and warmth.

That's all just speculation.  The tea is really nice, the main thing.

Is it worth $140 a cake?  Sure, if someone is open to paying that for it.  It's novel, so there isn't any one established market supply and demand based pricing level.  It could be $500 or 1000, if people are open to paying that.  

There's a general expectation that quality level and range of related experiences out there are the competing factors; there are ways to buy a lot of Yiwu versions, and some other Laos teas, just none that I've tried like this.  If somewhat equivalent versions really do tend to cost $280 instead then maybe this is a great value.  I'm not buying any teas that cost over $100 per cake, so I'm just not part of the whole community, in one sense.  That's about budget limitation, not idealism.  If my tea budget was much different I'd buy this, for sure, but I certainly don't experience that as a regret.  My life balance is something to be thankful for, not to focus on regrets over.

Beyond those concerns the tea character is really interesting and positive.  I've really appreciated the opportunity to try this, and to have some to drink, since William shared a fair amount, not just a sample.  Many thanks to him!

2008 Shuangzheng Liu Bao and 1980s Fu brick

 

ITeaworld sent another sampler, along with a Christmas themed set of Dan Cong, that I've already reviewed two of.  There are two more entire sets to get to; for whatever reason they released four different sample sets at about the same time.  The other two are Longjing and mixed Chinese green teas.  I guess that I've reached favored reviewer status?  Or shill; however one spins that.

Those earlier Dan Cong really were exceptional; I'll get back to that.  These are aged teas, identified as a New Year's themed set.  These two in particular are hei cha, which seemed like a good place to start, with other aged oolong, black, white, and even green teas included.  Aged green tea is an interesting subject; a bit unconventional.  I tend to work from least interesting and novel to most in sets like these, and I'd expect the sheng and shou pu'er to also be a bit ordinary, then the rest to be quite novel.  We'll see.  Maybe I should mix it up and try what seems most interesting next, instead of delaying that.

I'll include minimal product details and thoughts prior to posting this review, but as usual taste the teas and write these notes without reading essentially anything but the type description.  

The Liu Bao looks a bit open and twisted, as much like a rustic version of a rock oolong (Wuyi Yancha).  The Fu brick tea is quite broken, almost ground up looking.  I'm not sure what that's about, but there is some speculation about that form in the review notes.  For a tea version with considerable astringency the way that will affect compounds that are extracted would be really problematic, but in the case of aged Fu brick it might just be less than optimum.  

iTeaworld 2025 New Year Tea Gift Set (Year of the Snake Edition)   ($75.90 for 100 grams in total)

The Collection of 10 Aged Teas: Includes 20-Year-Old Ripe Pu-erh, 40-Year-Old Hei Zhuan (Black Brick Tea), 30-Year-Old Oolong, and more

1995 Shui Xian Oolong Tea

1998 Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea

1995 Aged Phoenix Dan Cong

2003 Sheng Pu-erh Tea

2003 Shou Pu-erh Tea

2008 Double-Steamed Liu Bao Tea

2014 Shou Mei White Tea

2014 Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Black Tea

1998 Jasmine Green Tea

1980s Fu Brick Tea

Related to value 76 cents a gram for aged tea seems pretty reasonable.  The tea would have to be of decent quality to justify that, but if it's even average--for the type range--that's still fair.  Half of these are from the 80s or 90s; that's quite aged.  

One thing people who have tried a good bit of aged tea are familiar with is that most versions aren't optimum; less than ideal storage conditions can degrade tea quite a bit over 2 1/2 decades or more.  Then what is the best case related to aspects would be hard to judge, without the level of experience that few ever get around to acquiring.  I've tried a good bit of aged tea but you need to sample a half dozen versions of any one kind to get a feel for the range, and avoid atypical results repeating by chance.  I've tried relatively few 25+ year old teas, maybe ten in total, but it's easy to lose track.  I can offer an informed opinion of these but not necessarily an expert opinion.

Review:

2008 Liu Bao:  that's not bad.  Liu Bao often includes a characteristic mineral depth, and mix of complex flavors, and this has it.  I've seen that phrases as a standard list, including pine, something medicinal, surely some mineral note, and so on.  I asked the Google AI bot about that but it didn't find that list, instead saying that Liu Bao might taste medicinal, like ginseng, jujube (Chinese date), pine, betel nut, honey, and so on.  Close enough.

There is a pine-like flavor inclusion, plenty of mineral, and what one might interpret as spice range, like ginseng.  It tastes "old" too.  There's a smell that very old furniture picks up that this includes, which is probably a mix of woody tones, aromatic character from finishes and preservative oils, and then also a mustiness.  Maybe some sweetness in this does resemble Chinese date; it's a little early to call.  It's pleasant.

1980s Fu brick:  this round extracted a lot more from this tea; I didn't adjust timing to account for one being relatively whole leaf and the other ground.  I infused both for awhile, on towards 30 seconds, trying to get it started, maybe even moving past early rough edges in one go.  This has a bit of mustiness, which may burn off next round.  I'm not going to do the rest justice as a flavor list, or rather any flavor list doesn't seem like it would do it justice.  Not because it's so exceptional, exotic, or complex, although some of that applies; it's just novel.

Beyond mustiness some dried fruit seems to stand out, and mineral, and aromatic wood or spice tones, like incense.  Feel is unusual; it includes dryness, depth / range, and some fullness.  Aftertaste is also unique, with that musty range carrying over, along with fruit, spice, and mineral tones.

It's a little early to place these in relation to my own preference, more a natural part of a conclusion phase, but I think that will help explain what I mean by these aspect lists.  I've never really loved Liu Bao character, but this is a pretty good example of one, so it works well enough, but not extending into a personal favorite experience sort of range.  This Fu brick is a bit odd, interesting, complex, and novel, but the mustiness throws it off, and the rest is about as interesting as it is pleasant.  It gains a lot of points for being novel, but it's not necessarily a great experience in relation to a close match to what I tend to like most.  

I'll try to be clearer.  I've tried at least a couple of old hei cha bricks presented as something random, probably old but not clearly one standard thing, like this one, and the experience seems to go like this.  Overall balance can be ok, and flavors and other aspects can be novel, but it doesn't come together as most desirable tea type experiences often do.  

Hei cha in general can be a little like that; there is something approachable and appealing to a lot of the range, but somehow the balance of expressed aspects often seems pleasant and interesting but not refined, complex, and well-balanced.  Feel is often an unusual kind of fullness, where other tea types might seem rich, or structured, in conventional ways--per the type--that is quite appealing, along with flavors.  Aged sheng tends to be more complex and balanced, but then some of that is just plain bad too.  Let's keep going.

Liu Bao #2:  this is pretty good.  This is what I'd expect of an aged Liu Bao experience, complex, hitting these flavor notes, with limited astringency, but decent feel structure.  It's hard for me to judge this in relation to pleasantness, or even quality, related to the flavor set.  I've tried a couple dozen Liu Bao versions, I'd expect, and have drank through some volume of the type, hundreds of grams worth, but all that is limited exposure in relation to personal favorite categories, sheng pu'er, different oolongs, black teas, to some extent even white and green teas.

The intensity is ok, and feel is fine.  Flavors hit that complex set one would expect.  To me Liu Bao often tastes a bit like how a cement block smells, which I would naturally associate with mineral range, but at the same time you don't notice mineral as standing out from other components, in relation to other range.  It's on the same level as other flavor range, just not dominant.

I might mention that Liu Bao comes in raw and ripe (pre-fermented) forms, mirroring sheng and shou pu'er.  Maybe the difference isn't as pronounced as with shou, related to that flavor set being so distinctive.  In theory--per some limited common understanding--30 year old sheng and shou pu'er should be similar, but in practice they seem quite distinct, to me.  But then pre-fermented Liu Bao just seems less harsh to me, and at 17 years aging it's not as natural for me to be able to spot a clear difference.  That may just relate to having tried a lot more shou pu'er.  Or maybe relatively new "raw" Liu Bao is fermented a little in processing, just not nearly as much.  But then I'm no expert on Liu Bao, and I definitely don't seek it out.

Fu brick:  mustiness did ease up, as one would expect.  This is better, but some of the flavor aspect balance issues still remain.  It's pleasant, but that's an odd set of flavors and feel to experience.  It's not completely different than the Liu Bao, but then not much maps over entirely directly either.  The warm sweetness is hard to describe; that might include spice tones, and a touch of honey, or a bit of dried fruit.  To me it's also like very well-aged wood, just not heavy, not like damp forest floor, or earthy like shou pu'er.  It includes a flavor like cedar, which seems to stand out from the rest, as a dominant tone.  Feel is still a little dry, or it includes dryness; putting it either way works.

On the one hand this is pleasant and complex, and reasonably balanced.  On the other it tastes a little like the smell in a high school wood shop, a mix of brighter and fresher wood fragrances, with one part remnants of sawdust and woods that have been around for decades.  I like that kind of scent in old work-space buildings, but it's an odd association to stand out this much in tea.

Liu Bao #3:  the prior flavor set is evolving.  For someone new to this tea, or just seeing it as a more engaging experience, they might make notes on which note is stronger in each round, the minor shifts.  But the prior set still works as a description; the balance just changes.  It's pleasant.

Fu brick:  the same is true for this version.  I suppose a sappy sort of input is shifting, in a way that's positive, related to both flavor and feel.  It gains a different kind of intensity, where before there might have been a slight thinness across part of the feel range, and to a lesser extent also the flavor range.  Feel becomes more viscous, richer.  

It's not so unusual for some interesting and more pleasant aspects to stand out in later rounds in older teas, or for what is extracted in the first few infusions to be less pleasant, parts that drop out, mustiness, dryness, or slightly off flavors.  It would be a shame to not brew these Gongfu style, to see how they vary across infusions.  At the same time I'm not on the page of writing pages long reviews now, covering even a half dozen rounds, so I was considering throwing in the towel.  I'll write about one more.

Liu Bao #4:  this is much darker than the other tea now, the brewed liquid, the opposite of early rounds.  I'd expect that the other rinsed out relatively quickly, for being so ground up.  I don't drink much tea of any kind presented like that, beyond maybe having a tea bag at work.  We work from home most of the time so I dropped the habit of bringing decent tea in there.

Again this is pretty good.  Again the same flavor list is presented, just in a slightly different form (pine, ginseng, dried fruit, some other medicinal tone, and mineral structure).  If I loved Liu Bao this would be more of an exceptional experience.  It's just ok, for me.  If someone liked Liu Bao experience in the past but found the typical harsh edge a bit off-putting, the astringency and strong mineral tone, then this might seem wonderful, since it has mellowed a lot over the aging.  Or if it's pre-fermented then that's not true, since it would've started out kind of mellow, but whatever funkiness was related to fermentation input has faded away over time, if there had been some.

Fu brick:  this isn't dying, and transitions are continuing to be positive, so it's good.  It's hard to put my finger on what seems like a limitation in this.  Flavor complexity, feel, the way it balances?  Feel structure does seem to cover a relatively limited range.  

This may well be one of those pressed hard as stone giant tablets of tea, which would explain why it's ground up, and also why the character is fine, but seems to cover limited range.  Tea can only age to be as good as the initial quality and character allows.  Those can be made of decent material, but if it's hard pressed ground tea it's highly unlikely that it was ever exceptional.

Conclusions:

On the next round the Liu Bao was still intense enough, and still transitioning, maybe adding more of what gets described as betel nut flavor, but I'm not so familiar with that.  The Fu brick was essentially done; it brewed out fast related to being ground material.

Related to the Fu brick tea, some people might be disappointed that there isn't more going on, a different kind of complexity, and more depth.  Others might see this experience as very novel and pleasant.  To me it's interesting, and positive, not bad in any way, just a little limited.  It only expresses so much.

I suppose that extends to both as final conclusions.  For the Liu Bao it is nice experiencing a good version, one with enough age and transformation input, as this represents, but this also highlights why I've always favored other kinds of teas more.  Aged sheng pu'er can be a lot more exceptional, there's just a lot of filtering requirement for finding better versions, and expense that goes along with that.  

I'll be trying some aged teas two friends passed on; it will be easier to place those in relation to these, and vice-versa.  I've not mentioned flaws much in these; I'd expect that along with novel and pleasant additions to these basic characters that some additional flaws will enter in.  Some rough edges can wear off over decades related to aged tea character, but negative storage input can come up too.  

These were fine; they didn't go dead or pick up any strange flavor notes, and flavor ranges were pleasant.  The Fu brick might have faded in intensity and complexity a little, but I'd expect that really related to original material character more.