Liu Bao Cha

This aged Liubao offers a smooth, earthy depth with hints of sweet woody undertones. Its characteristic purple buds contribute to a unique complexity, mellowing beautifully with age. It leans earthy, sweet and woody.

Water around 95–100 °C (203–212 °F). In a mug, steep 3–5 min. For gongfu, use 5–7 g per 100 ml, 10–20 s steeps (10–20+ rounds). You'll get to see how the flavor changes across multiple rounds. Rinse the leaves once with boiling water before your first real steep. It cleans off storage dust and gets the flavor going.

Grown in Guangxi, China. This batch is from the 2013 harvest.

Starts at $11.50 from One River Tea, or about $0.37/g. A 25g package gets you around 4 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $2.22 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.