The Bitterness and Astringency of Liubao Raw Tea: The Secrets of Two Different Flavors

Understanding the Differences Between the Bitterness and Astringency of Liubao Raw Tea:

• The bitterness of high-quality Liubao raw tea should be refreshing, like mountain spring water flowing across the tongue;
• The astringency of high-quality Liubao raw tea should be layered, with the astringency fading before a sweet aftertaste.

When you pick up a cup of Liubao raw tea, you'll first experience a sharp bitterness on the tip of your tongue, followed by a tingling astringency that spreads across the sides of your mouth. These two flavors blend together, yet they hold unique meanings and quietly reveal the richness of this tea.

Let's talk about the bitterness first.

The bitterness in tea is mostly due to caffeine and a small amount of theophylline, which act like the "wake-up agent" of tea. Liubao raw tea is lightly fermented, retaining more of these substances, especially caffeine, which readily escapes upon brewing, imparting a bitterness similar to that of black coffee. However, with good raw tea, the bitterness comes and goes quickly, like a heavy rain, leaving a sweet aftertaste in the mouth. If the bitterness lingers on the tongue, it could be because the tea was kneaded too hard during preparation, causing excessive caffeine to escape, or perhaps the tea leaves themselves simply contain too much of it.

Let's talk about astringency.

The astringency primarily comes from green tea polyphenols, especially catechins. When these compounds come into contact with the oral mucosa, they cause proteins to coagulate, creating a slightly astringent sensation, much like biting into an unripe persimmon. The severity of the astringency in Liubao raw tea depends heavily on where the tea trees are grown.

For example, tea trees grown at high altitudes accumulate more green tea polyphenols to withstand the cold and ultraviolet rays, resulting in a more pronounced astringency. Tea from tea gardens at lower altitudes may have a milder astringency. The right temperature during tea brewing is also crucial. If the wok temperature is not high enough or the time is too short during the withering process, the enzymes in the tea leaves won't be suppressed, and the green tea polyphenols will continue to oxidize, making the astringency even more pungent.

Many tea drinkers ask, does this bitterness indicate a rich supply of beneficial ingredients in the tea?

There's some truth to this. After all, bitter ingredients like caffeine and green tea polyphenols are inherently valuable in tea—high concentrations of these ingredients likely indicate the tea plant has accumulated a wealth of valuable ingredients during its growth. Just like a full fruit, its flavor is always more distinct.

Even if Liubao raw tea, which has a rich internal essence, has a noticeable astringency, it will still have a refreshingly sweet aftertaste, like a fine spring water slowly bubbling in the mouth. This is the result of the active ingredients at work.

But don't assume astringency is always good. Some coarse, old tea leaves or poorly processed raw teas can have a sharp and harsh astringency, with no sweet aftertaste. This "dead astringency" actually indicates an imbalance in the tea's ingredients.

Interestingly, bitterness and astringency change over time.

After more than half a year, raw tea ages, the caffeine slowly blends with the green tea polyphenols, causing the bitterness to fade like the receding tide. The green tea polyphenols also gradually become milder, and the astringency, like sanded wood, gradually becomes smoother.

That's why veteran tea drinkers often say, "New tea is astringent, old tea is mellow." Time, like a patient craftsman, slowly smoothes those sharp edges. The foundation for a good flavor lies precisely in the tea's rich, initially prickly qualities.