During our last visit to China, while in Shenzhen, we visited Tiffany Lau. Tiffany is a Liu Bao tea collector, editor-in-chief of "Liubao Tea Microjournal", national tea evaluator, and identification expert of Liu Bao Tea. She served as a judge for the Liu Bao Tea Battle Competition sessions. Over the years, Tiffany promoted Liubao Tea Culture to tea enthusiasts both domestically and internationally through many articles, videos, and offline tea gatherings. We had many teas and a long conversation about all things tea. This blog post is a compilation of our friendly talk over numerous cups of Hei Cha, put in the form of an interview for the convenience of reading. We hope you'll find it insightful.
Tiffany, how did you come to work with Liu Bao?
My family and I are from Guangxi, the birthplace and the core production area of Liu Bao Tea. Our connection with Liu Bao tea runs deep. In the 50s, my grandpa and grandma started working with Liu Bao, which makes me the third generation working with Hei Cha. At university, I studied computer science, but tea (and family) called me back, and I couldn't refuse. So, now I am using my tech knowledge to promote Liu Bao tea.
What are the main characteristics that Liu Bao should possess?
Liu Bao should encompass three primary fragrances: floral, betel nut, and earthy, aged aromas. In terms of the inherent qualities and effects this tea should have, Liu Bao helps expel excessive fluid and dampness from the body. This is an important quality because, according to TCM, excessive moisture in the body causes inflammation. Also, Hei Cha helps digestion and regulates the intestinal tracts. And, of course, like any other Hei Cha that undergoes wet pilling, Liu Bao has a microflora that is beneficial to the body.
Liu Bao (六堡) became especially popular in humid places like Malaysia and parts of Southeast Asia, where workers valued its reputation in TCM for dispelling dampness and aiding digestion. Shou Pu-erh (熟普洱), due to its ‘cut grease’ properties, is often more popular in the northern regions, where the diet is poor and unbalanced.
What sets Liu Bao apart from Shou Pu-erh in terms of taste?
Shou Pu-erh is made of Da Ye Zhong (大叶种), a big–leaf variety of Assamica trees. Collected from the same type of trees, from roughly the same area, these leaves can yield only a limited number of distinct taste notes, making the taste more or less straightforward. Liu Bao, on the other hand, is usually made of Qunti Zhong (当地群体种) – a mix of seed-propagated group varieties from Guangxi, often described as medium- or large-leaf types. This mixed ‘group species’ material tends to produce a more layered, complex profile compared to many factory Shou Pu-erhs.
When brewing Liu Bao, what leaf-to-water ratio do you use?
It depends on the tea. I choose the ratio depending on the degree of fermentation. The ratio should be higher for older, well-aged, and deeply fermented teas, while it can be lower for younger, less fermented teas. For this particular tea we are drinking right now, with a medium fermentation degree, I'm using a 1g:20ml ratio. However, it is important to develop a sensitive palate to be able to feel the subtleties and all the nuances of a tea's taste and aroma.
For Liu Bao, do you prefer using yixing teapots?
I prefer either ZiSha or Nixing clay. Nixing clay comes from Guangxi, just as Liu Bao does, so these two are very compatible.
What role does natural aging play in the development of Hei Cha? Because, from what I understand, in the case of Hei Cha, most of the fermentation happens during the Wo Dui (渥堆) – Wet Pilling processing step.
That is correct, but natural aging is still very important. The length of aging defines the transformation of volatile elements within the tea that have not yet stabilized. Only with time can these unstable components settle, transform, and express themselves through aroma and taste. And, besides everything else, aging is one of the main factors that define the price simply because time equates to money.
You have various brewing vessels on your counter: a silver kettle, a clay kettle, a stainless steel kettle, and a cast-iron kettle. How do you choose which one to use?
I use them according to their compatibility with tea. The essential properties of a kettle are heat retention and its effects on water. These properties vary for each material. For example, silver and cast iron make water sweeter, while water from clay makes tea thicker, giving tea more body.
So, would you use a silver kettle for teas with a bolder taste to make them sweeter and a clay kettle with lighter teas to give them more body?
On the contrary, I pair lighter, sweeter teas with a silver or cast-iron kettle, and bolder teas with a clay pot. Otherwise, clay may muffle delicate notes of an already delicate tea. But clay may help round out teas with harsher notes. So, generally speaking, you want to add lightness to lighter teas and thickness to full-bodied teas.
By the way, right now we are drinking the same tea we started with two hours ago, but before we brewed it with water from a stainless steel kettle, and this time we are brewing with water from a silver kettle. Can you feel the difference?
Wait, is it the first tea, freshly brewed, or is it the first tea we didn't finish that cooled off?
It's the first tea that we didn't finish, and it cooled off.
I'm glad you brought it up because Boyka and I disagree on this matter. So, is it okay to let wet leaves cool off and then steep them again?
It is not advisable for lighter-oxidized teas, such as Green, Yellow, and Low-oxidized Oolongs. But it is okay for more oxidized teas and may even be advisable for aged teas. Some teas can be drunk for up to two or even three days.
My experience shows that some shou pu-erhs only get better after cooling off for a few hours. They develop a better taste.
Aged pu-erh can be compared to someone who has been asleep. So, it needs time to wake up and become its best version.
So, now that we are drinking this first tea two hours later, after a long break in between, we are enjoying it much more than at the beginning. Is it because of the water from a different kettle, or is it because the tea is finally awakened, or is it a combination of all these factors? Or maybe it's something else?
I think it's because our conversation got us into the mood, and now we are able to appreciate more subtle things better :)
Switching to a slightly different subject: I was born in the USSR, and I know that collectivization and the government's intervention in farming had an absolutely devastating effect on agriculture. How were things with tea farming in China in the 50s and 60s? How was the tea industry affected by the party's course?
Actually, for Hei Cha, the effect was rather positive because collectivization enabled the implementation of production standards and made scaling possible. Before, each farming family did things independently, in their own way. So, it was nearly impossible to have a large production, let alone set standards to follow. Proper governance enabled the establishment of tea factories and the development of clear guidelines for evaluating tea.
And to conclude our tea session, what are the most important aspects of tea? Is it taste, or is it aroma? Or maybe it's the aftertaste? Or is it Qi that tea possesses (茶气)? Or is it something else?
The most important thing is whether the tea makes you feel good. If the tea is compatible with your body and constitution, it will manifest itself in a good feeling and enjoyment. So, the enjoyment you get from tea is the best characteristic.