December 14th, 2020
This is another remake of a classic HK/Macau market Grade III liubao, originally produced by the government of China for export to Hong Kong and Macau dealers. Liubao tea was exported from HK and Macau to Malaysia, but was also consumed locally since it makes quite a good substitute for traditional storage ripe pu erh, without local dealers needing to age the tea. This tea was carefully pile fermented and then traditionally stored in Guangxi between 2017 and 2019 before these cans were released. The market for liu bao of this type was driven by demand from dealers in our part of the world, as with many other teas, since HK was the primary port through which much of China's produce went out to the rest of the world (and much of China's money and production still passes through HK today).
The tea is contained within a sealed mylar bag inside a can. The bags have a small hole punched at the top to allow for air flow, which is really a great idea as the tea can still 'breathe' within the can.
This tea is of the big leaf (grade III) type, which is legendary in Malaysia. 'Da Ye,' or big leaf, is used colloquially to refer to liubao tea in Malaysia. This is a top quality, pesticide-tested liubao. Each can comes with a copy of the test report from a government lab in Fujian (and this tea passed inspection with flying colors for pesticides and heavy metals). While smaller/tippier leaf liubaos are much more expensive, Grade III traditional storage liubao is really very pleasant to drink, and very good value.
While this is marketed as 'betelnut aroma' liubao, I find the betelnut to be less prominent in this recipe than in other liubao I've tried. There is a light traditional storage taste here, and I do get betelnut when brewing this tea 'gongfu-style,' but this tea is smooth to drink with lovely huigan and truly excellent cha qi. This tea makes my body heat up every time I drink it! I have a can of this tea at home and I find myself reaching for it quite regularly. The reasonable price point, surprisingly powerful cha qi and clean, modern production standards have made this tea my choice several times over the last week.
I suggest brewing this tea in a larger teapot (350-500ml), using a mug, or perhaps even boiling it. While this tea can be brewed in a gaiwan or smaller pot, I feel it would be hard to extract everything these leaves have to give due to their larger size.
I'm very happy to offer this excellent remake of a historical HK market recipe, and I think many of you will enjoy this tea as much as I do!
