After purchasing our Liubao tea, careful tea enthusiasts will certainly notice that there are two dates written on the tea packaging: the “start of aging date” and the “production date,” or the “production date” and the “packaging date,” among other combinations. Although the combinations vary, there are always two dates. Why does the packaging of Liubao tea feature a combination of two dates?
This is a relatively unique common practice in the Liubao tea industry compared to other types of tea. We all know that Liubao tea has the characteristic of becoming “more fragrant with age.” Freshly made Liubao tea, after being stored for a period of time before consumption, will have an even better taste.
First, we need to talk about the production process of Liubao tea. In previous articles, we mentioned that there are two production processes for Liubao tea.
Liubao Tea Steam Pressing Fermentation Refined Tea Process Flow
Liubao Tea Cold Water Fermentation Refined Tea Process Flow
The technique of cellar storage is particularly common in alcoholic fermentation, and when its role was discovered, the cellar storage process was further utilized. It was explicitly added to the production process to ensure that the produced Liubao tea has good quality. The air-drying and aging process has requirements for the storage environment, storage method, and climatic conditions of the storage location. The tea cellar requires a relative Humidity of 70% to 90% throughout the year and a temperature of 18 to 28°C, as well as a high-quality microbial community. After a period of cellar storage, the tea is then moved to a clean, cool, dry, and odorless warehouse for continued aging, with an aging time of no less than 180 days.
What are the “start of aging date” and the “production date” mentioned above?
Let's look at a specific example.
Start of aging date: end date of pile-fermentation
Production date: date of packaging and release to market after aging
Regarding this, we have summarized a Table for reference by tea enthusiasts:
To summarize:
1. The aging date & start of aging date are both “the date at the end of pile-fermentation.”
2. If the production date appears alone, it refers to the “date of packaging and release to market after aging”; if it appears together with other dates, it can be analyzed based on the specific situation.
3. Packaging date is the “date of packaging and release to market after aging.”
Currently, most of the mainstream brands of Liubao tea that we come across basically follow this approach. We also recommend that if you want to purchase Liubao tea, choose manufacturers that make such distinctions, as this will help you see the vintage more clearly. Of course, the vintage is an important reference, but we do not suggest that tea drinkers prioritize “age above all else.” Factors such as Raw material grade, production process, storage, and others are all indispensable components of a good Cup of tea.
