2010 Aged Liu Bao (Betel Nut Aroma) - Dark Tea from Guangxi

Liu Bao (六堡) is a type of post-fermented tea originating from Liu Bao town of Guangxi. In the Qing dynasty’s Jiaqing period (1796-1820), Liu Bao was listed as one of the twenty-four famous Chinese teas, particularly because of its unique betel nut aroma.

The standard plucking consists of one bud and two to three leaves or one bud and three to four leaves from mature new shoots. For this product, the fresh tea leaves were harvested before the Qingming solar term (in early April every year), representing the best quality tea leaves of the year.

In the rough processing stage, the fresh leaves were made into Maocha (semi-processed). Then, Maocha from Qun Ti Zhong and Gui Qing Zhong varieties were blended and stored for a year.

For fine processing, the tea leaves were steamed and piled twice, a fermentation method known as “Double Steaming”. This is different from most Liu Bao teas found in the market, which uses the popular Wo Dui (wet piling) method that involves spraying cold water on the dry leaves. The Wo Dui method was invented for Liu Bao around the year of 1958, but before that, this kind of “Double Steaming” method was prevalent.

The last step involves tightly compressing the steamed tea leaves into bamboo baskets to air-dry. These baskets usually weigh 30 to 50 kilograms, and they will be placed in the warehouse for aging.

Liu Bao tea is renowned for its "red, strong, aged, and mellow" qualities. This product has a distinctive betel nut and ginseng fragrance, which is a result of raw material, processing technique, and aging in high-quality Liu Bao teas. The local standard of Liu Bao tea defines the betel nut aroma as “the aroma or taste similar to dry and mature betel nut seeds, generally found in aged Liu Bao tea.”