Liu Bao Cha

This aged Liu Bao from the 1980s offers a profound depth, characteristic of a well-matured dark tea. Expect a rich, earthy aroma with notes of damp forest floor and aged wood, culminating in a smooth,. It leans earthy, woody and smooth.

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 1980 harvest.

Starts at $37.50 from Purple Cloud Tea House, or about $0.30/g. A 125g package gets you around 21 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $1.80 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.