Liu Bao Tea Six Castles of Bliss 六 座 城 堡 福 氣 茶人: Wu Ping Honorary Deputy President of the City Liu Bao Tea Association 六

What defines Liu Bao tea? This is something that not many people can articulate; even those who are well-versed in Cha Dao often know little more than some basic facts: that it’s a member of the black tea family 堡 with a rich history and that it takes its name from its place of origin: Liu Bao village, in , Wuzhou City, in ’s Province. As for the precise characteristics of Liu Bao tea, up until the last decade or so, nobody had been clear about these for a very long 黑 time. This led to a situation where the name “Liu Bao” was used indis- criminately to refer to any black tea produced in the area surrounding Wuzhou. To remedy this, the Guangxi Inspection and Quarantine Bu- reau released an official standard entitled Liu Bao Tea. This publication 茶 details the characteristics of Liu Bao, including its distinctive aroma and traditional production method, and discusses the significance and scope of this unique variety of tea.

iu Bao tea (六堡茶) is a classic largely on the mutual approval of the steadily producing Liu Bao tea at the L example of Chinese black tea, two parties regarding the standard of time. The officialLiu Bao Tea standard or heicha (黑茶). (In Chinese, the tea, rather than any accurate or contains a precise definition: Liu Bao “black” tea refers to a category of dark, scientific criteria. There wasn’t any tea (traditionally also called Liu Pao fermented teas similar to puerh, and kind of governing body or officially in English) is made from the leaves of distinct from red tea. What is usu- recognized standard to regulate man- the Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze ally called “black” tea in English is ufacturing, which made it difficult tea plant. It’s made using the tender actually red tea.) It’s named after the to expand the Liu Bao market. So it leaves and stems of new shoots and place where it was traditionally pro- became necessary to establish a uni- is manufactured according to the tra- duced, Liu Bao, or “Six Castles,” Vil- fied standard in order to promote a ditional Liu Bao tea-making method. lage in Cangwu. During the planned flourishing export market, regulate the This is divided into two parts: the economy period, the definition of Liu examination and quality control of first is the early processing, which Bao tea widened to include any black Liu Bao, and protect the legal rights includes “kill-green” (firing in a wok tea produced using the traditional of all parties involved in the export to halt oxidization), rolling, heaping, Wuzhou method in the surrounding industry. or wodui (渥堆), rolling again, then areas of Guangxi, including Heng drying. The second part of the process County, Lin’gui County, and cities is refining the tea, which involves sift- such as , , and . The Official Definition ing, blowing, selecting, grading, ini- Production was concentrated around of Liu Bao Tea tial steaming while heaped, a second three major factories in Wuzhou, Gui- steaming whilst pressing into shape, lin, and . Altogether, the The Guangxi Inspection and Quar- and finally, maturing. This delicate Wuzhou area produces a little over antine Bureau released the official and complex process results in the 1200 tons of Liu Bao tea each year. Of export standard for Liu Bao tea on unique black tea that is Liu Bao. these, over 800 tons are exported annu- April 8, 2003, and implemented it Although the officialLiu Bao Tea ally to nearby regions and countries on October 8 of the same year. It was standard doesn’t go into the manu- such as Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast the first industry standard for Liu Bao facturing process in much detail, a Asia, and Japan. The remainder is sold tea and had the support of fifteen rel- more in-depth introduction to the domestically, with the major markets evant companies and organizations, various steps in the process can be located in the provinces of including the Technical Supervision found in related publications such as and Guangxi. Department, the Guangxi Tea Import the Guangxi Local Products Corpora- For many years, there was no uni- and Export Corporation, the Guangxi tion’s The Processing and Inspection of fied standard for the export of Liu Local Products Corporation, and the Tea Leaves, which includes a thorough Bao tea. Trade agreements relied two major enterprises who had been introduction.

301414 Liu Bao Tea

In addition, two researchers brewed tea leaves should be red- idase, pectase, cellulase, and proteases. from the Wuzhou Tea Factory in dish-brown. Before brewing the leaves The chemical changes catalyzed in the Guangxi—technician Yang Jinquan ( are straight and even like the mao- tea include oxidization, polymeriza- 楊錦泉) and former factory deputy cha, but with a dark, blackish-brown tion, degradation, and isomerization; head Liao Qingmei (廖慶梅)—have glossy appearance, and are also for example, the starch in the tea leaves carried out in-depth quantitative stud- “clean.” In addition to this, the Liu is transformed into monosaccharides, ies into each step in the Liu Bao tea Bao tea produced in Wuzhou is aged and polyphenol-type chemical com- production process, based on practi- in caves for a long time, and devel- pounds are oxidized. These chemical cal experimentation. This has allowed ops a mottled yellow color known as transformations alter the color, scent, them to make some recommendations “Golden Flowers,” or Jin Hua (金花). and flavor of the tea. The color of the as to how best to control and evaluate The “Golden Flowers” that develop tea liquor becomes a reddish-brown, the production process; their findings on Liu Bao tea leaves become more the “raw” scent is eliminated, and the represent the most complete, scien- prominent with maturation—experts aroma and flavor are enhanced; all of tific, and practical research to date on have identified them as Eurotium cri- these elements come together to create the traditional Liu Bao tea production statum, a type of beneficial fungus. As Liu Bao tea’s distinctive style and fla- method. the Eurotium cristatum grows, it me- vor. Over the long history of Liu Bao tabolizes certain chemicals from the tea tea drinking, the presence of “Golden leaves and produces various extracellu- Flowers” has become a well-established The “Liu BaoF ragrance” lar enzymes including polyphenol ox- marker of superior quality tea.

Liu Bao tea is known for its dis- tinctive aroma, reminiscent of the betel, or areca, nut. The official Liu Bao Tea standard contains the follow- ing description of this famed Liu Bao fragrance: “Liu Bao maocha (毛茶, unprocessed tea leaves) should possess these qualities: the fragrance should be mellow, rich, and refreshing; the flavor rich, strong and refreshing. Refined, fully processed Liu Bao tea should have the following qualities: the fragrance should be pure, mel- low, and rich, with the scent of betel nut; the taste should be strong and full-bodied with a betel nut flavor and a sweet aftertaste.” (There will be a more detailed discussion of this dis- tinctive fragrance in the Further Read- ings on our blog.)

The Unique Characteristics of Liu Bao Tea

In addition to the requirements for fragrance and flavor, theLiu Bao Te a standard also outlines the follow- ing qualities: Liu Bao maocha liquor should be a clear reddish-yellow; the brewed leaves should be tender with an even yellow-brown color. The unbrewed leaves are straight, even, tightly twisted and of uniform size. They are light brown and lustrous in appearance, and are categorized as “clean,” meaning that no extraneous matter (such as tea twigs or other ingredients) are present in the tea leaves. Refined Liu Bao tea should have clear, deep red liquor, and the

15/ Introduction to Liu Bao Tea Liu Bao tea is often summarized two enterprises, the Guangxi Inspec- and passing down the history, craft, using four words: “red, rich, aged, and tion and Quarantine Bureau com- and culture behind Liu Bao tea. mellow.” The best Liu Bao teas are piled the Liu Bao Tea standard based This new era of standardized pro- recognized by their distinct betel nut on the existing practices of the two duction brought about a significant taste and aroma, and the presence of factories, and released it the follow- increase in the quality of Liu Bao “Golden Flowers” on the tea leaves. ing year (2003). This standard out- tea and guaranteed a uniformly high lined the technical specifications for standard, which earned it the recog- the production of Liu Bao tea, and nition of both local and international The Results of the marked the start of an era of standard- consumers. This helped the industry Liu Bao Tea Standard ized production. It represented a mile- to gradually emerge from a difficult stone in the development of Liu Bao period and really begin to flourish. In 2002, prior to the release of the tea, signifying that the art of Liu Bao The implementation of the official Liu Bao Tea standard, there were only production had reached a mature and Liu Bao Tea standard has had tangible two factories producing Liu Bao—the stable state, and that Liu Bao tea had benefits for all involved in the indus- Wuzhou Tea Factory and the Wuzhou become a product with a rich sense of try, including tea factory owners, tea Tea Import and Export Corporation terroir. These two factories have now merchants, supervisory bodies, and, of Tea Processing Plant. The tea they been manufacturing and exporting course, tea drinkers. produced was mostly for export. With Liu Bao tea for several decades; they the support and cooperation of these have been instrumental in developing

Modern Liu Bao.

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