After coming across Nannuoshan’s Youtube channel, I discovered they have some pretty good teas in their store. I contacted them and they were kind enough to give me two samples. One of the samples is the 2009 Liubao. As you have probably guessed from the title, that is the tea I’m drinking today.
Have you considered subscribing to Tea Adventures? You can enter your email address in the sidebar and get updates whenever I publish a new article. You never have to miss an article again by joining our mailing list.
2009 Liubao
Nannuoshan’s 2009 Liubao is a Liu Bao tea from Cangwu County in Guangxi Province, China. A lot of teas come from Guangxi Province, but Liu Bao is the most famous of them all. It’s a type of dark tea (heicha) that is similar to shu Puerh. During the sixties and seventies, tea factories actually took note of how Liu Bao was produced and these methods were the main inspiration for the production of shu Puerh. They show clear similarities, but it would be a shame to see them as almost identical teas. Chances are, however, that if you like shu Puerh, you will probably like Liu Bao tea as well.
The colour is a deep, dark brown and it’s mostly pieces of relatively small leaves in combination with stalks. The aroma is warm with some hints of cinnamon and spices.
The aroma of the wet leaves has changed and now it’s also a bit sweet. There is a lingering fruity sweetness that wants to break through. The leaves are black and I see stalks and pieces of leaves.
Tea Tasting
- Water 99°C
- 4.1g for a 100ml Zisha teapot
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusion 1 (15 sec): immediately from the start, there is a sharpness present that quickly fades. It has a really full flavour with some hints of redcurrant. The texture feels really thick.
Infusion 2 (20 sec): no sharpness at the start and it offers an inviting and warming sensation. I’m getting some hints of wood and there is also an underlying sweetness. It’s still really thick and mellow. You just want to keep drinking it.
Infusion 3 (30 sec): soft woodsy notes with a greasy touch to it. It’s dry wood, so definitely no notes of a wet forest or something you usually get when drinking shu Puerh; this one is different. Important is that the flavours and texture want you to keep drinking it and keep making more infusions.
Infusion 4 (40 sec): the texture still feels thick as it really coats my whole mouth. It flows so well and easily. Flavours are rather subtle and I’m picking up some subtle notes of dry wood.
Infusion 5 (50 sec): flavours aren’t really changing and I’m getting some woodsy notes again. Nothing more is going on flavour-wise. The texture still feels thick and full-bodied. It’s amazing how this tea makes you feel. It convinces you that you need more!
Infusion 6 (long): soft woodsy notes and subtle betelnut.
Don’t know where to buy tea online? I made a page on the website with over 200 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
Conclusion
This tea was a really interesting one, to say the least. The flavours were good, but I didn’t get a lot of them. The main things I got were some notes of dry wood and some betelnut during the final infusions. The most interesting aspect of this tea is the feeling you get while drinking. I experienced a warming sensation and I just wanted to keep brewing more. The liquor was so rich, thick and full-bodied that I couldn’t get enough of it. For this price, I definitely recommend this tea. It’s perfect as an everyday Liu Bao and it’s also a good starting point if you have never tried Liu Bao before. If I drink this one again in the future, it won’t be for the flavours, but more for the feeling and texture of the liquor. Such a pleasant experience!
You can buy the tea over here.
