Liu Bao Cha

This dark tea offers a smooth and thick mouthfeel, leading with rich earthy tones and a delightful sweetness. A subtle hint of betel nut emerges, completing a profile reminiscent of a well-matured raw. It leans earthy, sweet and betel nut.

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 2018 harvest.

Starts at $6.25 from Yunnan Sourcing, or about $0.07/g. A 50g package gets you around 8 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $0.42 per session. Compare dark prices across vendors on Teadar.