The great liu bao vintages are a short list of teas from the 1930s to the 1990s, most of them aged in Malaysia and most now very rare. The Malaysian tea teacher Lin Ping Xiang ranked his top five as Pu Tian Gong Qing, 1950s Zhong Cha, 1960s LLLL367, 1950s Da Xin Hang and 1950s Fu Hua. Collectors add the 1970s SSHC from Penang and the 1980s VIVE from the Guangxi Wuzhou Tea Factory. This guide explains what each name means, how the eras differ, and how to buy without paying vintage prices for a younger tea.
Which liu bao vintages are the most famous?
Lin Ping Xiang's ranking is the one most collectors quote. In order:
- Pu Tian Gong Qing, roughly "all under heaven celebrate". A higher grade that is said to have been kept for the managers and owners of the tin mines. Usually dated to the 1930s, though one account places it in the 1950s.
- 1950s Zhong Cha, under the China Tea mark.
- 1960s LLLL367, an Orchid brand tea that came through Hong Kong. Each L stands for lan, orchid, and four orchids was the top of four grades.
- 1950s Da Xin Hang, a merchant's tea from the same period.
- 1950s Fu Hua, the fifth on the list, and rated above SSHC by those who have tasted both.
Two more names come up in every conversation about old liu bao. The 1970s SSHC, Shuang Xing Hao Yin from Penang, is red, mellow and nutty, with herbs, sandalwood and betel nut, and is easier to find than the teas above. The 1980s VIVE from the Guangxi Wuzhou Tea Factory came in two grades and is deep, thick and loamy, with the camphor of its era.
What do the names and codes on old liu bao mean?
Most old liu bao is named after a merchant, a brand or a shipping code, not a place or a tea garden. Liu bao was made in Guangxi, sold through Wuzhou, and traded by houses in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Each house marked its baskets in its own way.
- Merchant and brand names: Da Xin Hang, Fu Hua, Si Jin Quan (Four Gold Coins, a Hong Kong house dating back to the Qing dynasty), SSHC.
- Factory marks: VIVE comes from the Guangxi Wuzhou Tea Factory. Zhong Cha is the China Tea mark used by the state tea companies.
- Gunny codes: baskets travelled wrapped in large sacks, called gunnies in Malaysia, and some teas are known only by the codes on them, such as N152, NL229 and LLLL367.
Names were also reused. The Pu Tian names in particular appear on much later teas. Our own "Celebration", "Congratulation" and "Auspicious" carry Pu Tian names and are late 1980s, mid 1990s and 2000s teas. They are good liu bao at everyday prices, labelled with their real dates. They are not the 1930s tea.
How do the eras differ in the cup?
The decade tells you how the tea was made, and that shapes the taste as much as age does. Methods changed twice in the second half of the century.
- 1930s to 1950s. Before 1958 the leaf was steamed rather than wok-fired, and there was no withering. These teas tend to taste clear, refined and cooling, with decades of slow change behind them.
- 1958 to the 1970s. Wok-firing, rolling, piling and drying over pinewood fires became standard. Pine smoke and betel nut are the markers. SSHC sits here.
- 1980s. Piling became deeper, wetter and longer, borrowed from shou puerh. The teas are thicker and warmer, often with camphor. VIVE is the classic example: rich and satisfying, if less refined than the older teas.
- 1990s. Production in Guangxi had nearly stopped when the Malaysian tin mines closed, so good 1990s liu bao is less common than you might expect. The Wuzhou Tea Factory's 1990s tea is well regarded, and teas stored in Malaysia since the 1990s, such as our Ma Bao, show how smooth the decade can be.
For more on how processing changed, see what is liu bao tea? and liu bao vs shou puerh.
Which of these vintages can you still buy?
A few, in small amounts, at high prices. Where the 1950s teas appear at all, they now sell in jars of around 125g rather than baskets, often for thousands of US dollars. Pu Tian Gong Qing is the hardest of all. We have sold out of ours.
At the time of writing we hold the 1950s Fu Hua and 1950s Da Xin Hang, one jar of each, along with the 1970s SSHC, 1970s Si Jin Quan and 1980s VIVE Special Grade. They are all in the liu bao collection, with prices and stock shown on each listing.
It was not always like this. Not long ago a kilo of 1950s liu bao cost a fraction of a 300g aged puerh cake of the same age. Liu bao was undervalued for decades, which is part of why so much of it survived. That gap has closed.
How do you avoid paying 1950s prices for a younger tea?
Read the date, not the name, and ask what can be shown. A famous name on a modestly priced tin is almost never the old tea.
- Check the date against the price. A real 1950s liu bao does not sell for tens of dollars per 150g.
- Ask for the storage history. Where has it been, and for how long? Gaps in the story are common. A good seller will tell you where they are.
- Look at the leaf. Old liu bao is dark and dry, with a clean smell of wood, betel nut and old paper. It should not smell sour or damp.
- Taste before you commit. Buy a sample where one is offered. A small amount tells you more than a photo.
Some things cannot be verified at all. A photo cannot prove a date. Original wrappers and baskets are rarely present, and repacked tea carries no marks. Trust comes from the seller's track record and from what is in the cup. Our guide to why Malaysian storage matters explains how storage shapes these teas.
Is an old vintage worth it?
For most drinkers, a well-stored 1980s or 1990s liu bao gives most of the character at a small fraction of the price. Si Bao, stored in Malaysia since the 1980s, is the one we point people to first. Save the 1950s teas for when you know liu bao well enough to taste what the extra decades add.
Old tea is for drinking. Brew it gong fu, keep the water at a full boil, and boil the spent leaf at the end. Questions about a specific vintage? Write to us.