Liubao Tea is best brewed using a clay pot, a glass pot, or a purple clay Teapot. Liubao tea belongs to the category of dark tea and is a specialty product of Wuzhou, Guangxi. Its leaves are rich in content and have a substantial, coarse texture. The flavor is robust and rich, with a unique betel nut aroma. When brewing, a clay pot or a purple clay teapot can be used to enhance the smoothness of the tea soup. A glass pot can also be used to authentically reproduce the taste of the tea.
What Kind of Teapot is Best for Brewing Liubao Tea?
One: Purple Clay Teapot
For regular Liubao factory tea, a purple clay teapot can be chosen for brewing. Purple clay Teapots have good breathability and adsorption properties. They can gather the aroma of the tea without overpowering its natural essence or introducing a cooked flavor. Moreover, the aroma easily dissolves into the tea soup, making the taste richer and more pleasant in the mouth.
Two: Nixing Clay Teapot
When brewed with a Nixing clay teapot, Liubao tea has a pure and mellow aroma. The tea water produced is entirely true to the authentic taste of Liubao tea. During the brewing process, when you open the lid and smell it, you'll notice the pure tea fragrance. After prolonged use, even pouring plain boiling water into an empty teapot will still yield an aromatic tea flavor, making it a high-quality tea utensil.
Three: Porcelain Teapot
Porcelain teapots have moderate heat conduction and insulation, do not react chemically with the tea, and are not absorbent. Porcelain tea sets do not absorb the taste of the tea like purple clay teapots, resulting in a clear and long-lasting flavor in the brewed tea soup.
In addition to considering the material of the teapot, the most distinctive feature of Liubao tea is its “redness, thickness, age, and richness.”
If the teapot's capacity is too small, it can easily make the Liubao tea too concentrated, affecting the taste and preventing one from truly experiencing the flavor of the Liubao tea. Therefore, when purchasing a teapot for brewing Liubao tea, it is recommended to:
1. Prioritize larger capacity,
2. Choose pots with a round and large belly,
3. Control the amount of tea added,
4. Adjust the temperature of the water.
By doing so, you can truly appreciate the authentic taste of the Liubao tea.
Liubao tea has a long history and is a typical representative of dark tea; it is named after Liubao Town in Cangwu County, Guangxi. Its quality is renowned for its “redness, thickness, richness, and aged character.” Liubao tea is categorized by production method into raw tea (farmer's tea) and ripe tea (factory tea); and by age into new tea and aged tea. Each type has its own unique characteristics.