Liu Bao Cha

This aged Liu Bao offers a comforting depth with pronounced earthy and woody undertones. Subtle hints of camphor add to its complexity, culminating in a smooth, warming liquor that lingers pleasantly. It leans earthy, woody and camphor.

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 2012 harvest.

Starts at $56.00 from Purple Cloud Tea House, or about $0.22/g. A 250g package gets you around 42 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $1.32 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.