Liu An Tea of the day/night/something.

[Kazeryu]

According to what Google tells me, Liu An tea is somewhat similar to Pu'er in that it has both green and fermented varieties. One of the principal differences, however, is that it is packed in small bamboo baskets and toasted/dried out over a bamboo fire. It is then left in the baskets to age in storage conditions similar (identical?) to those used for pu'erh. I have also read that traditionally, a piece of the aged bamboo basket is steeped with the tea to add to the flavour.

Anyways, I recently got some in a tea order and I'm wondering if other B&B'ers drink this tea and have any thoughts on it. It seems a bit harder to find than pu-erh so I'm not sure how much interest in it there may be.

Here's what I had:
90's Liu An Tea "from Anhui". (black/fermented)

I didn't order a whole basket, so the leaves came semi-loose in a baggy. There is a strong and musty toasted bamboo smell with notes of damp phonebooks. Leaves are in big pieces and have a grayish-white cast to them, presumably due to age.

I think I used too many leaves when brewing - the brew was incredibly reddish-dark and thick. Brew was very stimulating and warming. The toasty bamboo flavour was dominant along with another undercurrent that I couldn't quite identify. (I suspect I was steeping too long - I'll have to try again with less leaves and more careful steep times.) Overall much smoother than any other tea I've tried. (YMMV - this is the oldest tea I've tried by far.)

Number of infusions seems very impressive. Even brewing 200-300ml at a time, I ended up going all day (at work) without weakening.

 

[ouch]

The liu an's I tried were all very medicinal.

 

[thanks]

The liu an's I tried were all very medicinal.

I would have to say that my experience has been the same. I have a basket of 500g stashed away somewhere, but it's only from 05, so I'll have to give it another few years before trying it again. Last time I tried it was probably two years ago, and it was... interesting. Extremely harsh from what little I remember of it.

 

[Kazeryu]

I have been revisiting my liu an and found it a very pleasant bambooey change of pace from all the pu. Reducing the amount of leaves and steeping times has helped calm it down into a nice mellow warming experience. It almost makes me feel sleepy.

I have ordered another variety of liu an which is much younger (2008) for comparison purposes. I will report back here once I get to try the other one.

 

[gimpochin]

good you had a more positive revisit. i've found most asians when drinking alone or amongst themselves tend to drink weak tea however when a westerner arrives they will load it up.ugh!
Most puerh i find are kinda medicinal and often used as gifts. i guess its why i have a box of puerh cakes. kinda like the classic American christmas fruitcake. Looking forward to your next report,good luck.

 

[Proinsias]

I had some liu an from the early 90's, I think. It was still pretty harsh but beginning to get medicinal - brewed lightly with cooler water it was pleasant enough & interesting to try nothing really special.

From what I recall Liu An needs more time than pu-erh to become palatable, in the region of 40 odd years. But then the crazies around here drink sheng less than 20 years old, so who knows.......

 

[Kazeryu]

forgot to post my review of the younger liu an, but I am enjoying another pot (or two) of the 90's liu an today. It seems like a shame that no one else drinks it.

 

[Proinsias]

One day the tea order will include some very old and well stored liu an.............

My stash of 90's Lui an is long gone but brewed lightly it did make for a nice change of pace.

 

[thanks]

Turns out my basket is from 04, so I decided to give it a go. Hmm, yeah it's darkening, but it is still too rough to drink. Very rough, actually. Bitter and astringent, but I can sense a very slight aged taste in there. Liu An is harder for me to get into, and always has been. The stuff that's old enough to drink is usually too expensive, the stuff that's almost ready to drink is just priced more than I'd like to spend for this tea, and the young baskets are selling for more money than I've ever seen before. Hopefully I'll forget about my basket for a decade or two. That's the dream, at least.

 

[Kazeryu]

Comparison of the 2008 Liu An Basket...

I used cooler water to try to gently coax this young Liu An into my cup without provoking a violent episode.

Aroma is similar, with a lot less of the damp phonebook and a lighter bamboo element. Mouthfeel somewhat lacking, more straw and grain flavour than anything else. Noticeable throat-closing & dusty/scratchy feeling, however.

Aside from the last two harsh elements, I would consider this fairly drinkable, if unexciting.

 

[Kazeryu]

Old Ying Kee Luk On (Jia Cang Liu An) from goodtea.eu

No year of production, although curiously the bag came with a "drink by" sticker listing 21-09-15. The in-bag aroma has that "damp phonebook" smell that I am beginning to think is characteristic of Liu An. Leaves are cut in small curled ribbons with a fair portion of veins and stems. (no pictures at work, sorry)

I did a quick rinse with fairly hot water and then rested it a moment before pouring again. Brew came up almost immediately in a dark reddish-brown colour and I poured it after less than 10 seconds steep. First pot is very drying with a slight bitter finish - probably due to water temperature. Good mouthfeel and some energy to it.

When pouring the second pot I get a nice cloud of aroma with the toasted bamboo and phonebook smell that I remember from my other Liu Ans. Taste has some of that pu-er leatherand some lighter elements I can't put a name to. Some throat scratchiness is appearing.

Still getting a huge drying effect, actually to the point that it is interfering with my ability to enjoy the tea. Hopefully this has something to do with me and/or lunch rather than the tea.

I might update this post later with more thoughts. Otherwise, stay tuned for the Jade Orchid Liu An that I received in the same shipment.

 

[Drybonz]

I don't think it's a tea I would drink by the pot, as I found it a bit intense... but try a few infustions in a Gaiwan and see what you think. I'm thinking it's a nice evening or fall tea.

 

[Kazeryu]

My tea pot might be smaller than you are imagining (about a mugful), but I take your point. I was also thinking of trying a lower leaf/water ratio to see if the issues would fade away.

 

[Drybonz]

My first infusion I had quite a bit of leaves in the pot, and I was really surprised when a 10 second-ish infusion made a dark red-brown cup... very bold. So I also had to tone it down a bit. With teas like this I also find I have to "allow" myself to stop after 2 or 3 infusions. My tendency is to always want to take the infusions as far as they will go, but sometimes I think it's ok to just taste a couple cups until I am happy. I'm rambling, sorry. Good luck with it though. Hope I didn't steer you wrong.

 

[Kazeryu]

Jade Orchid Luk On (Yu Lan Xiang Liu An)

Tea has tons of little flower bits (stamens?) in it. Trying this for the first time with less leaves and cooler water than I would use for pu, and a much longer steep time (90s). Aroma is more fruity and floral... I think I can still detect some of the toasty bamboo notes, but none of the "damp phonebooks" I get from other Liu Ans. Throat effect is cooling and drying. Flavour is a bit bland - I think I am mostly getting flower and not much tea. Given that this is a scented tea, perhaps this is only to be expected. On the other hand, maybe more leaves are in order.

I feel like Liu An is a type of tea I haven't fully figured out yet... Not that I am a master of any tea, but I do know how to brew most things so that I enjoy them.