Tea Review: 2021 Spring Raw Liubao (White2Tea)

2021 Spring Raw Liubao
White2Tea
Type: Heicha
Origin: China, Guangxi Province
Product Description:

Liubao heicha, also known as dark tea, a post fermented tea from Guangxi province in China.

This tea was made on commission for white2tea in early spring of 2021 for our wonderful tea club. We did not have enough left for baskets, but had a little loose tea left for our new heicha section.

Not the typical mass produced and pile fermented dark liubao. Raw may be a misnomer, but calling it green doesn’t quite seem right either, and some folk have even suggested this tea qualify as a yellow tea or some hybrid unfermented heicha. In China people often call it nongjia or farmer style, though it is rarely sold on the open market due to small production sizes and lack of proper accreditation. You will find similarities in this tea that spans genres – green tea, yellow tea, heicha, raw Puer – there is a reason you can’t pin it down easily. 

Bright aromas and sweetness with a hefty huigan (returning sweetness) that is sticky and refreshing. Lovely to drink now or age as you desire. 

Temperature: 190° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of cocoa and wood.  

The light peach-yellow infusion has a savory and nutty aroma with notes of baked squash and a hint of cocoa.  The taste is nutty with notes that remind me of bitter chocolate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this heicha (my tasting notes say, "Yum!"), especially the cocoa notes that made an appearance throughout three infusions.  Though the third infusion had mellowed quite a bit, it was still quite nice.

This tea review was written in 2021. This tea was included in a monthly paid subscription box.