Liu Bao tea originates in Guangxi, China, with its historical and geographical identity centered on Liubao Town in Cangwu County and the Wuzhou area, and authentic geographical-indication Liu Bao is tied to a defined production region rather than simply any dark tea made anywhere in China.
Traditional Liu Bao tea refers to Liu Bao made using historically established production and maturation practices associated with Guangxi, especially Wuzhou and Liubao, rather than simply referring to any tea that happens to be dark, earthy, or aged.
Liu Bao tea is made through a multi-stage process involving tea-leaf preparation, fixation, rolling, drying, refining, steaming, controlled moisture and fermentation for applicable styles, shaping or compression, and subsequent maturation; the exact process varies considerably between traditional and modern Liu Bao.
Liu Bao tea is a Guangxi dark tea (heicha) traditionally associated with Wuzhou and Liubao, while Pu-erh is a Yunnan tea category with its own raw-material, geographical, and processing traditions; although aged Liu Bao and ripe Pu-erh can taste remarkably similar, they are not the same tea.
