The History And Evolution Of Liubao Tea And Its Production Techniques(2）

At that time, the fermentation process reform experiment was led by the Guangdong Provincial Tea Import and Export Company, while the research on the pile fermentation of Liubao tea fell to the Wuzhou branch of the China Tea Guangxi Provincial Branch (now Wuzhou China Tea).

A book published in 1959 introducing the cold-water pile fermentation process.

At that time, the technical personnel in Wuzhou explored and recorded the process and results of dividing the tea leaves into different grades and adding different proportions of water.  The advantages and disadvantages of this process were also listed. The document explicitly states, "Currently, we have implemented this method in our large-scale production, and the finished products supplied to the Guangdong Tea Export Company have received positive feedback." This confirms that the cold-water pile fermentation process for Liubao tea by the Wuzhou branch of the China Tea Guangxi Provincial Branch (now Wuzhou China Tea) had been applied to mass production at least as early as 1958.

In the fermentation workshop of Wuzhou Zhongcha, the cold water pile fermentation tanks that had been in use for decades have now been replaced with clean and hygienic stainless steel tanks.

Most importantly, the improved quality and taste of Liubao tea were recognized by merchants. The special export mission of the Wuzhou Tea Import and Export Company (now Wuzhou China Tea) at that time meant that, until the abolition of the foreign trade tea export license management in 2005, the Liubao tea flavor recognized in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and Macau was based on Liubao tea produced using the cold-water pile fermentation method.

It is also worth mentioning that in early 1973, the Yunnan Provincial Tea Import and Export Company learned at the Canton Fair that Hong Kong customers needed fermented red-liquor Pu'er tea, and since this type of tea was produced in Guangdong, they decided to learn the process.  Around 1975, Yunnan's fermentation process underwent a significant innovation, developing the cold-water pile fermentation process, which led to the creation of ripe Pu'er tea.

It can be said that, whether for Liubao tea or Pu'er tea, the cold-water pile fermentation process was researched and invented under the leadership and organization of the China Tea Company at that time. They were the leaders and pioneers of modern ripe tea processing technology.

Looking back, how important is the pile fermentation process to Liubao tea and ripe Pu'er tea? Numerous papers now show that its principle is to promote the transformation of internal substances through hydrothermal action, enzymatic action, and microbial action, reducing bitterness and astringency, deepening the color of the tea liquor, making the taste mellower, and changing the color of the tea leaves to reddish-brown or dark brown, thus optimizing the quality of the tea. 

The Last Secret of Liubao Tea – Cellar Aging

Liubao tea is renowned for its "red, rich, aged, and mellow" characteristics. When brewed, the tea liquor is bright red, the taste is mellow and refreshing, and the aroma is pure. A ​​crucial process in its production is cellar aging. According to records, in ancient times, people in Liubao Township (now Liubao Town) stored tea leaves in mud-brick houses with relatively constant temperatures. Through practice, they discovered that the storage of Liubao tea played a very important role in improving its quality. This was the early form of the cellar aging process for Liubao tea. Furthermore, the book "Tea Manufacturing," published by the Agricultural Publishing House in 1961, explicitly states that Liubao tea "is best when aged, and the older, the better." In short, under certain storage conditions, the post-fermentation of Liubao tea is accelerated due to the participation of microorganisms, making the tea redder, richer, and mellower.

In the current geographical indication standards for Liubao tea, the aging process is described as follows: The tea leaves are placed in a clean, cool, well-ventilated environment free of peculiar odors. After the tea temperature drops to room temperature and the moisture content drops below 18%, it is moved to a clean environment with a relative humidity of 75% to 90%, a temperature of 23℃ to 28℃, and no peculiar odors, or to a cave with similar conditions for aging. Then, it is moved to a clean, cool, dry warehouse free of peculiar odors for further aging. The aging time is no less than 180 days. Therefore, the interpretation of the geographical indication can be that the aging process requires specific storage environments, storage methods, and climatic conditions, but the location is not unique. It can be a tea cellar, a brick and wood warehouse, or a purely dry warehouse, etc. However, different cellar aging environments create different flavors. To obtain the unique and high-quality flavor of Liubao tea, there has always been a practice of "multiple warehouses, multiple storages" and repeated transfers for aging.

The brick and wood structure of Wuzhou Zhongcha's natural dry storage has been in use since the 1960s, with ventilation and moisture protection (glass tiles are used for light transmission).

Going back to the 1950s and 1960s, during the period when modern Liubao tea processing techniques were taking shape, the Wuzhou branch of the China Tea Guangxi Provincial Company (now Wuzhou Zhongcha) further applied the cellar aging process in practice. Technicians discovered that the air-raid shelters left over from the war were excellent places for cellar aging.

In fact, many tea processing techniques originate from accidental discoveries. For example, it is said that the semi-fermentation process of Oolong tea originated from a unique taste obtained through a production error. Therefore, whether a new process can withstand the test of time and taste is crucial.

As is well known, cellar aging is particularly common in the fermentation of alcoholic beverages. Its function is to accelerate the esterification reaction, thereby speeding up the maturation of the alcohol. Moreover, frequently used cellars can form a relatively stable microbial community, which is extremely important for the quality of fermentation. Liu Bao tea that has undergone cellar aging has improved in terms of its bitter and astringent taste, possessing a more mellow flavor.

Exterior view of the natural dry storage structure of Wuzhou Zhongcha brick and wood

However, controlling the quality of tea during the aging process is not something that can be explained solely by textbook knowledge. According to Manager Xie of the Wuzhou China Tea Product Development Department, in addition to data control, the aging process requires experienced masters to conduct regular sensory evaluations.  Based on the style of different products, they decide whether to move the tea to a different storage location and control the duration of aging.

Furthermore, Manager Xie also said that the "no less than 180 days" mentioned in the geographical indication is actually a very basic standard. Some Liubao teas that have been aged well for seven or ten years will offer a special aroma and taste, which is the unique charm brought about by the aging and transformation of Liubao tea.

The End

The History And Evolution Of Liubao Tea And Its Production Techniques(1）

Tracing history is a delightful adventure. In the tea industry, exploring the historical process of a particular type of tea is like journeying to a distant plateau, searching for the source of the mighty Yangtze River; at some point, you'll be struck by a scene you never imagined.

In early April, we traveled to Wuzhou, Guangxi, where we wanted to learn about the understated yet famous Liubao tea. Previously, Liubao tea was primarily exported to overseas Chinese communities, enjoying a high reputation in Southeast Asia, but most tea enthusiasts in China were unfamiliar with it. Its obscurity, however, gives it a unique, profound, and enduring charm. For example, the cold-water fermentation process of Liubao tea was developed in 1958, and Wuzhou Zhongcha Tea Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Wuzhou Zhongcha) has inherited decades of expertise in Liubao tea's cellar aging process, a technique unparalleled in the tea industry.

History is always full of coincidences and drama, and the development of Liubao tea's processing is no exception.

Liubao tea, named after the township (now a town).

Historical Famous Tea and the Disruption of its Craftsmanship

Tracing the history of Liubao tea's processing, we start from its origins. First, it is a historically famous tea. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Cangwu Liubao tea was listed among the twenty-four famous teas due to its betel nut aroma. Later, it became a symbol of homesickness for Chinese laborers working in Southeast Asia and a life-saving tea for those working hard in humid and hot regions, becoming popular in Southeast Asia for over a hundred years—this was its most glorious period.

The Hekou Street Wharf in Liubao Town, 

one of the starting points of the ancient tea boat route.

Unfortunately, like many teas, its processing techniques were disrupted due to historical reasons.

During the Anti-Japanese War, both the supply and demand sides of Liubao tea suffered devastating blows. The waterway routes essential for Liubao tea exports were blockaded by the Japanese army, and the entire Southeast Asian region was ravaged by war, resulting in a complete loss of market. At that time, Liubao tea production almost ceased. It can be said that since the Qing Dynasty, the specific details of Liubao tea's processing and the exact taste of its famous betel nut aroma have been almost completely lost. The only sources of reference are some historical documents and people's taste memories. In 1930, the Guangxi University Weekly published the following text: "After picking the tea leaves, place them in boiling water until they become soft, about 5 minutes. Then remove them and place them in a basket, pressing them with your feet until the leaves curl up. Then dry them over a fire. After drying, steam them until soft, then store them in a basket for sale." This is the earliest record of the production process of Liubao tea. In this brief description, we can see that the blanching process using boiling water is different from modern techniques. The phrase "stored for sale" essentially refers to the processes of cooling after steaming, natural drying, and aging (fermentation), which are similar to modern techniques.

In another historical document, "Tea Picking and Processing Methods (Liubao Tea)" (1957) describes: "The processing process of Liubao tea is: blanching (stir-frying in a pot) → rolling → piling for fermentation → re-rolling → drying." This is the first record in the history of Liubao tea production that explicitly states that "piling" is for "fermentation." Clearly, from the changes in the blanching method and the evolution of the fermentation concept from empirical practice to a defined process, we can perceive the evolution and maturation of Liubao tea processing techniques.

In the traditional processing of Liubao tea, a wooden rolling machine is
used to roll the tea leaves after they have been killed from green.

This might be a general picture before the disruption of Liubao tea processing techniques. In today's Liubao tea market, one branch has inherited and developed this process, which is known in the market as "farmer's tea" or "traditional process." However, a recent article explained that due to several disruptions in this traditional process (including one after the founding of PRC), the production standards of farmer's tea merchants in Wuzhou are not uniform, and the quality varies greatly. Some even simply borrow the classification method of Pu-erh raw tea, calling it Liubao raw tea, resulting in a rather chaotic situation.

The Crisis of Tea Merchant Processing Methods

The trajectory of historical development always follows this pattern: necessity is the mother of invention. If the traditional process mentioned above strives to respect ancient traditions, then the tea merchant processing method, the source of the current Wuzhou large-scale tea factory process, is a unique fruit that has blossomed in the development of Liubao tea techniques.

Regarding the origin of this lineage and its sensory characteristics, a historical document provides us with clear information. The book "Chinese Tea Processing Techniques" records: "Before 1958, the Wuzhou branch of the Guangxi Provincial Tea Company of China (now Wuzhou China Tea) adopted the Liubao tea processing method of Wuzhou tea merchants, first steaming and then piling. The piling process generally lasted 18-24 hours, with the core temperature reaching 70-80℃. The appearance and color changed quickly, and the tea liquor deepened in color, but the tea leaves hardened.  After processing, the finished product could not meet the quality requirements for aging after long-term storage, and the foreign market reacted strongly to this."

At the entrance to the highway in Liubao Town, the route of 

the ancient tea boat route can be seen on a giant rock.

There are two key points here: "adopting the Liubao tea processing method of Wuzhou tea merchants" and "the foreign market reacted strongly to this."

Let's discuss the latter first. Many people don't know that in that historical period, for the people at that time, this "strong reaction" was a very important matter, both economically and psychologically. The People's Republic of China had only recently been established, resources were scarce, and everything needed rebuilding. Exports were extremely important. The aforementioned "Tea Picking and Processing Methods (Liubao Tea)" (1957) also records the propaganda at the time emphasizing the special significance of expanding tea exports: "Exporting one ton of tea can be exchanged for 10-12 tons of steel or 20 tons of gasoline, and 180 piculs of tea can be exchanged for a new tractor..." Therefore, the strong reaction from the foreign market to the quality of the tea would have caused many people sleepless nights.

Now let's talk about "adopting the Liubao tea processing method of Wuzhou tea merchants." According to Manager Xie of the product development department of Wuzhou China Tea, during the era of the ancient tea trade route, there were many tea merchants. However, these merchants did not directly export the raw tea; they would generally process it further according to their own requirements, and these processes might include blending and piling. It can be said that the Liubao tea exported to Southeast Asia in the past was not simply raw tea produced by farmers. Regarding how Liubao tea was processed after reaching the hands of the Guangzhou Thirteen Factories tea merchants via the tea waterway during the Qing Dynasty, there is currently a lack of reliable historical records, which is a major regret in Liubao tea research.

Today, the sculptures at Hekou Wharf in Liubao Town depict 

the scene of tea merchants collecting tea at that time.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1954, the state strengthened centralized control over tea, prohibiting private merchants from entering the production areas to purchase tea, and all tea was managed by the China Tea Company. Although the tea merchants' methods were still being used at the time, problems arose, as the quality and taste of the tea could not be consistently maintained. There are two reasons for this. First, according to Manager Xie of Wuzhou Zhongcha, there were many tea merchants in the past, and each had different techniques, mostly related to the experience of the tea masters.  The so-called "continuation" of these methods therefore varied greatly.

Another reason is that Liubao tea was packaged in bamboo baskets and mostly transported by water. Due to poor transportation conditions, various human and non-human factors could cause the tea to undergo a slight fermentation process. However, with the expansion of tea production and the improvement of transportation conditions, the quality of exported tea changed, which actually aligns with the laws of tea development. In different eras, with changes in transportation environments and drinking preferences, tea processing techniques have also changed, either actively or passively, and Liubao tea, by chance, ushered in a new era.

Inside the natural brick and wood warehouse of Wuzhou Zhongcha, Liubao tea is packaged in bamboo baskets, a method unique to Liubao tea.

A New Dawn: Cold Water Fermentation

Just when all seemed lost, a new path emerged.  If it weren't for the feedback from foreign customers, the milestone cold water fermentation process for Liubao tea might have been developed several years later.

As mentioned earlier, in the mid-1950s, it was reported that the tea soup of Liubao tea was not red enough or bright enough, failing to meet export requirements. In fact, this problem wasn't unique to Liubao tea; Pu'er tea also experienced similar issues at that time. The previous article, "The Story of Ripe Pu'er: The Most Detailed Chronology of the Origin of Ripe Pu'er Tea," states that in 1950, some people reported that "customers in Hong Kong who were used to drinking red-soup Pu'er tea (raw tea) simply couldn't get used to it." Both of these feedbacks pointed to insufficient fermentation.

Pu'er tea enthusiasts are quite familiar with this period of Pu'er tea history. In 1959, the Guangdong Tea Import and Export Company began experimental research on accelerating the post-fermentation of Pu'er tea, and developed its own new Pu'er tea fermentation process, which was then called "Guangdong Pu'er tea." However, many people don't know that Liubao tea also underwent a modern technological innovation during this period. The earliest written record of the research and application of the cold-water fermentation technique can be found in "Tea Refining Technology and Machinery" (Collection of Tea Technology Innovation Materials, Volume 3), published by Light Industry Press in 1959.  An article in the book, titled "Experience of Wuzhou Tea Factory (then affiliated with the Wuzhou Branch of the Guangxi Provincial Branch of China Tea Company) in Adopting Cold Fermentation for Liubao Tea," details the reasons for the development of the cold-water fermentation process and its successful application.

To Be Continued

The Historical Relationship Between Pu'er Ripe Tea And Liubao Tea

In China today, we must acknowledge that Liubao tea has become a niche tea. Few seasoned tea drinkers regularly drink it, and many have never even heard of this dark tea. Perhaps only older generations of tea drinkers would have a strong impression of "Liubao tea," given its heyday around the 1950s. Today, Pu'er tea is one of the most popular and famous teas in China, but back then, many might find it hard to believe that Liubao tea held such a position.

As early as the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Liubao tea was already listed as one of the twenty-four famous teas due to its "betel nut aroma." Later, its moisture-resistant properties (very important) made it a popular export tea for overseas Chinese, a source of comfort for many Chinese laborers who went to Southeast Asia, and an important daily health drink, thus becoming popular throughout Southeast Asia. Liubao tea emphasizes "red, strong, aged, and mellow," with a bright red tea soup, a mellow and refreshing taste, and a pure aroma…wait, is this not referring to ripe Pu'er?

It turns out that the emergence of modern ripe Pu'er tea is closely related to Liubao tea. As everyone knows, ripe Pu-erh tea only appeared in the 1970s; before that, only raw Pu-erh existed. Raw Pu-erh is highly stimulating and has a strong, bitter taste. Only aged raw Pu-erh, known for its smooth and mellow taste, is relatively close to the modern ripe Pu-erh. Although aged raw Pu-erh tastes somewhat similar to ripe Pu-erh, there are fundamental differences. Aged raw Pu-erh undergoes natural late-stage fermentation, while ripe Pu-erh uses artificial catalytic fermentation. This artificial catalytic fermentation process originates from traditional Liubao tea.

Liubao tea uses a "piling" process to ferment raw tea leaves. The book *Tea Harvesting and Processing Methods*, compiled by the Guangxi Supply and Marketing Cooperative in June 1957, describes this process as follows: 

The phrase "piling for several hours" in the book refers to "piling." This is a crucial step in forming the unique quality of Liubao tea. Its purpose is to promote the transformation of substances within the tea through the moist heat of piling, reducing bitterness and astringency, and making the tea soup mellow. It is precisely because of this process that Liubao tea soup is silky smooth and without any astringency.

Many people have likely heard that those with sensitive stomachs shouldn't drink raw Pu-erh tea. Raw Pu-erh is considered strong and stimulating; newly made or recently aged raw Pu-erh has a strong bitter taste, a pale or yellowish-green liquor, and is considered cold in nature, easily irritating the stomach—completely different from the ripe Pu-erh we generally associate with it. However, in 1959, Guangdong tea merchants, knowing Hong Kong people's fondness for "red-broth Pu-erh," began developing "Guangdong Pu-erh tea," using wet storage to accelerate the fermentation of raw Pu-erh. In the 1970s, Yunnan tea merchants visited the Wuzhou Tea Factory in Guangxi, learning the fermentation techniques of Liubao tea. In 1974, the Yunnan Provincial Tea Company successfully developed ripe Pu-erh tea, which quickly swept the market with its enticing aged aroma and deep liquor color.

Since then, ripe Pu-erh, with its strong market competitiveness, has almost completely replaced Liubao tea in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Because Yunnan has a large tea-producing area and a high average annual temperature, its tea production is much higher. Therefore, compared to Liubao tea, ripe Pu-erh tea has a lower cost and higher cost-performance ratio, and enjoys the name of Pu-erh, gradually replacing Liubao tea as the representative of dark tea. Liubao tea, on the other hand, has gradually become less well-known. Driven by the market, major tea factories have refined the fermentation process of ripe Pu-erh tea, resulting in various products that are excellent in both tea leaves and technology. However, having tasted both ripe Pu-erh and Liubao tea for many years, I can objectively say that both are very good and worth trying. They have many similarities but also differences. In the next installment, I will share my years of drinking experience with you regarding these similarities and differences.