Stone Medicine

The Vault carries only one Liu Bao, and it has to earn its place. Stone Medicine is remarkable - a fermented dark tea from Wuzhou, Guangxi, aged in bamboo-basket, a practice that predates modern shou puerh and shares its earthy, transformative depth. Long prized in Malaysia and Hong Kong as both an medicinal tea and digestive aid, good Liu Bao rewards patience the way puerh does. Believed to have been produced as a special order using high-grade, bud-rich Golden Pekoe material, this tea has had three decades of pristine aging, moving from Malaysia to Taiwan along the way, with no jin hua and no shortcuts. Just good, clean storage and the magic of time.

It opens brassy and mineral, earth forward. By the second steeping, betel nut and camphor notes arrive, Liu Bao's signature, layered with herbal, medicine-chest complexity and aged wood. The sweetness here is mineral and stone, threaded through clean wood rather than dried fruit, subtle instead of sugary. The texture builds steep by steep into something oily and full without ever turning heavy, and camphor returns late in the session on longer infusions. This tea keeps giving well past eight steeps without losing its shape.

The energy is where Stone Medicine really separates itself. Calming, settling, grounding and nourishing.. Liu Bao has long been used to clear heat and ease the transition from summer into fall, when the system craves something earthy and cooling.

If you've never had Liu Bao or enjoy shou puerh but want to journey into adjacent territory, this is a special place to start. If you already love Liu Bao, this vintage is a real treat. Liu Bao at its best.

Wuzhou Special Order Golden Pekoe Liu Bao - Guangxi, China - 1990s