Pu'er Tea mainly originates from areas in Xishuangbanna, Pu'er, Lincang, Baoshan, and other places in Yunnan Province. Pu'er tea is a geographical indication product, and its protected region includes 11 prefectures (cities) and municipalities, 75 counties (cities, districts), and 639 townships (towns, subdistrict offices) across Pu'er City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Lincang City, Kunming City, Dali Prefecture, Baoshan City, Dehong Prefecture, Chuxiong Prefecture, Honghe Prefecture, Yuxi City, Wenshan Prefecture.
Main Origin of Pu'er Tea
1. Xishuangbanna
Among these, the production in Menghai County and Yi Wu in Mengla in Xishuangbanna is the most substantial.
Menghai County's Mengsong, Nannuoshan, Pasha, He Kai, Bulang Mountain, Old Man'ao, Bada Mountain, and other areas are all important origins of Pu'er tea. Many villages and mountains within these origins have significant reputations. Among them, Bao Tang, Da Manlü, and Naka in Mengsong, Menghai; Banpo Village and Maidong Village in Nannuoshan; Manlong and Bangpeng in He Kai; Old Ban Zhang, New Ban Zhang, Old Man'ao, Manxinglong, and Man Nuo in Bulang Mountain; Zhanglang in Bada Mountain are all well-known in Pu'er tea origins.
The Yi Wu tea area, with Goufengzhai, Dingjiazhai, Luoshuidong, Yishanmo, Machhei, Gaoshan Village, and others as representative famous villages, is highly sought after.
2. Pu'er Tea Region
The Pu'er production area is most famous for Jingmai and Bangwei in Lancang County, Jinggu, and Qianjiaczai in Zhenyuan County.
3. Lincang Tea Region
The main areas in the Lincang production region include Shuangjiang Town in Mengku, Bangdong, Fengqing, and other places. Among these, Mengku Town has the saying of “eighteen villages” on the eastern and western halves of the mountain, among which the five Ice Island villages are particularly well-known, especially Ice Island itself, which is highly sought after. In addition, Dongguo, Dahusai, and Baka also have certain reputations. Rock tea in Bangdong is relatively well-known, and among these, Daxueshan and Xigui have been highly sought-after teas in recent years. The output of tea in Fengqing County is considerable; however, apart from Pu'er tea, some of the tea here is also made into Dian Hong Black Tea, and Fengqing Dian Hong has always been quite representative.
4. Baoshan Tea Region
Baoshan, located in western Yunnan Province, is situated at the southern end of the Hengduan Mountains and the western longitudinal valley of Yunnan. Its terrain is complex and diverse, sloping from northwest to southeast. The highest point is the peak of Gaoligong Mountain in Tengchong County at an elevation of 3,780.9 meters, while the lowest point is 535 meters above sea level.
Baoshan has excellent natural conditions suitable for tea tree growth, with rich tea tree variety resources. It is an important origin of Yunnan “Dian Hong” and Pu'er tea. Large areas of tea production can be found in Baoshan City, Changning, Tengchong, Longling, Shidian, and other areas within its jurisdiction.
Of the four main Pu'er tea production regions in Yunnan, the Baoshan tea region has the highest latitude, the lowest average altitude, the lowest annual average temperature, and the least annual precipitation.
Quality Characteristics of Pu'er Tea
Pu'er tea is produced in areas such as Xishuangbanna and Pu'er in Yunnan Province. Pu'er tea is made from large-leaf varieties in Yunnan, divided into raw and ripe teas. The quality characteristics of Pu'er raw tea are dark green color, clear and lasting aroma, rich and sweet taste, green-yellow and clear broth, and thick and yellow-green leaves. The quality characteristics of Pu'er ripe tea are brown-red or dark chestnut color; when brewed, the broth is red and transparent, with an aged, mellow aroma, and fresh and lively leaves.