1990s Liu Bao

2026-06-24

I found this one at the Flying Bird Tea Bar in Vienna — a beautiful space, and the people there are just lovely, really engaging, happy to let you try things. I was there wanting to explore Liu Bao further, so we tried an old cake. We had a chance to taste it together on the spot, and it tastes really nice, sweet, refined and integrated.

So I took a sample — about 50 grams, at a good price, and the taste is genuinely there. Sweet, smooth, well aged, no bitterness, those soft camphor notes. On the palate alone this would rate much higher.

But here's the thing: every time I think about drinking this tea, my body feels like a no. There's a sense of heaviness, something that doesn't sit well in the stomach. And mid-session — after a few steeps — the throat starts to feel like it's locking up, like the tea isn't flowing down smoothly. After 2 Sessions I feel I will not be drinking more of it.

Looking at the dry leaves, it's clear this isn’t very clean — a lot of material in there, quite a bit of small particles still showing up in the cup even at late steeps. It has a gentle moldy smell, but nothing unusual for this type of tea. There are no moldy spots visible.

So, while the taste is nicely evolved, the feeling ranks it low for me.