In the end of 1950s, the emergence of the Wodui (artificial wet-piling fermentation) technique divided Liu Bao tea into two distinctly different styles: traditional Liu Bao and modern Liu Bao, often referred to as “raw Liu Bao” and “ripe Liu Bao” respectively. This distinction is somewhat similar to that between raw Puerh and ripe Puerh, which is likewise defined by the application of the Wodui technique.
 
Traditional Liu Bao (Raw Liu Bao), also known as farmer-style Liu Bao, follows the ancient processing methods passed down through generations: harvesting → Shaqing (kill-green in an iron wok) → rolling → Mendui → second rolling → drying. The Mendui process is also carried out in piles and involves a mild oxidation that relies solely on the moisture naturally retained in the leaves after rolling, instead of adding water as in the modern Wodui method. The tea is then dried by low-heat roasting and stored to allow natural aging. Alternatively, the dried raw Liu Bao may be steamed again using the steaming or double-steaming techniques developed in the 1950s, allowing the tea to reabsorb moisture and undergo a slight fermentation, aiming for a mellower, more rounded flavor. In either case, traditional Liu Bao requires subsequent aging process to develop the mellow taste profile today we are familiar with.
 
By contrast, modern Liu Bao tea, also referred to as factory tea or simply Liu Bao tea, is produced on a large scale using the cold-water wet-piling fermentation (Wodui) technique that emerged in 1958. The Wodui technique allows the tea to achieve a mellow and mature flavor profile within a short aging process of 6–24 months, much shorter than that required for teas processed using traditional methods.
 
The new national standard Heicha – Part 4: Liu Bao Tea (GB/T32719.4-2016), issued in 2016, requires that Liu Bao tea undergo the Wodui fermentation process. As a result, teas produced without this process, such as farmer-style Liu Bao, are no longer officially recognized as Liu Bao tea under the current standard and are instead classified as Maocha (unfinished tea). Nevertheless, the unique flavors of raw Liu Bao are irreplaceable—not only for their bold and powerful character in youth, but also because, even after aging, their mellow and complex taste remains distinctly different from that of any modern Liu Bao.
 
This particular tea comes from the last remaining Gushu garden on Heishi Shan (黑石山) mountain. Heishi Village, alongside the Gongzhou village, has historically been regarded as one of the most prestigious micro-regions in Liubao Town. In earlier years, many villagers cut down their old tea trees to plant star anise or pine trees for better earnings, leading to a current scarcity of true ancient plantations in the Liu Bao-producing area. Given the rarity of traditional Liu Bao in the current market, a raw Liu Bao from a prestigious micro-region, especially one harvested from a genuine Gushu plantation, stands out as uniquely valuable. This rare tea offers floral freshness and distinctive intense flavors that are absent from both modern Liu Bao and Aged Farmer-Style Liu Bao (raw Liu Bao), providing a unique experience and a rarely encountered perspective on Liu Bao tea.