Limitation:
Due to reasons such as preservation and daily consumption, Lao Liubao tea is very rare, and old tea that can be preserved to this day is extremely rare.
Brewing Suggestion
Brewing Liubao Tea (especially aged Liubao Tea) requires highlighting its characteristics of “red color, thick texture, aged aroma, and mellow taste”. Specific recommendations are as follows:
Tea Set Selection: Purple clay teapots (breathable, conducive to preserving tea flavor and enhancing the aged aroma) or gaiwan (lidded bowls, 100-120ml, easy for observing the tea soup and controlling the tea pouring speed) are preferred. For convenience,
glass teapots can also be used, but prolonged steeping should be avoided.
Tea Quantity: Adjust according to the tea-to-water ratio of approximately 1:15. That is, add 6-7g of dry tea to a 100ml tea set. For aged Liubao Tea that has been stored for many years, the quantity can be appropriately reduced to 5g to prevent
an overly strong taste.
Water Temperature Control: Boiling water at 100°C is a must. As a post-fermented dark tea, Liubao Tea needs high temperature to fully release its aged aroma, pine smoke aroma, and betel nut notes. There is no need to lower the water temperature.
Brewing Steps:
- First, “rinse the tea”: Pour boiling water into the tea set, quickly rinse the tea for 10 seconds, and then discard the rinsing water (this removes dust and awakens the tea’s flavor).
- Formal brewing: Control the tea pouring time to 15-20 seconds for the first 3 infusions. Starting from the 4th infusion, extend the time by 5-10 seconds for each subsequent infusion. For aged tea, the time can be appropriately extended to 30 seconds
to avoid a weak taste caused by pouring the tea too early.
- If you prefer a stronger taste, you can slightly steep the tea after the 5th infusion (no more than 1 minute), but avoid over-steeping as it may cause a astringent taste.
Tips: It is recommended to drink the brewed tea as soon as possible. Slight “chilling haze” (cloudiness when the tea cools down) may occur in the tea soup after it cools, which is a normal phenomenon and does not affect the taste. The remaining tea soup
can be poured into a fair cup for serving to ensure a consistent taste in each cup.
