Pu'er is a county in southern Yunnan Province and serves as a processing and distribution hub for tea; Pu'er tea is produced in the Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture and various counties along the Lancang River in southern Yunnan. Much of it is transported and sold via Pu'er, which is how the tea got its name. As far back as the ancient Tea Horse Road period, Pu'er tea played... Pu'er tea is a type of green tea, available in both loose-leaf and compressed forms.
Baiying Mountain Tea is a specialty of Baiying Mountain in Yun County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Baiying Mountain is a natural museum of ancient tea trees and a genetic treasure trove of tea germplasm resources. The middle reaches of the Lancang River where Baiying Mountain is located have since ancient times been the core cultivation area of the Yunnan large-leaf tea — the raw tea used in today’s Pu’er tea production. Baiying Mountain is situated in Lincang...
Fengqing Red Flower Camellia Tea is a specialty of Fengqing County in Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Fengqing County is one of the primary native regions of red flower camellia, where the unique climate and soil conditions are highly suitable for the development of the red flower camellia industry. The people of Fengqing have long had the tradition of cultivating and utilizing red flower camellia, with artificially planted areas found in suitable locations such as barren hillsides, edges of farmland, and around homes.
Cold Tossed Tea Tree Flowers Fengqing is a major tea-producing county and one of the birthplaces of the world’s tea plants, with over 200,000 acres of both new and old tea gardens. During the rainy season every year, a blackish-yellow parasitic plant grows on the tea trees, which locals in Fengqing call “tree flowers.” Tea tree flowers are generally only used in cold tossed dishes and not stir-fried or boiled. To prepare them, first soak the tree flowers in clean water for one to two hours and rinse thoroughly. Then boil them in hot water for a few minutes before rinsing them again in clean water. The prepared tree flowers can then be mixed into a cold dish and served. The flowers are crisp and delicious, with a slightly sweet and bitter taste. It is said that tree flowers are calcium-rich plants, and regular consumption can help strengthen bones and improve overall health. In Fengqing, during the winter and spring seasons, both residents and restaurants can prepare tasty, crisp, and fragrant cold tossed tea tree flowers.
Fengqing is the birthplace of Dianhong black tea. The Dianhong Gongfu (a type of black tea) was first successfully trial-produced in Fengqing, Yunnan in 1939. According to the Shunning County Annals: "In 1938, the tea-growing regions in the southeastern provinces were close to the war zones, making production difficult. Under government orders, China Tea Company actively developed the southwestern tea regions to maintain the existing international market for Chinese tea. In...
“I draw sweet spring water tinged with fallen blooms, and lightly fire my stone kettle to brew fresh tea.” These lines were written by Xu Xiake, the famed geographer of the Ming Dynasty, in the 12th year of the Chongzhen era (1639) when he passed through Shunning and stayed overnight at Gaojingcao (now within the territory of Maxiang Village, Dasi), describing the “sweet spring” and “fresh tea” — both originating from Fengqing, a region with a 400- to 500-year history of tea cultivation.
Aged Dianhong Black Tea Soup The production of Dianhong involves using high-quality fresh leaves from Yunnan large-leaf tea trees. The leaves undergo processes such as withering, rolling or cutting, fermentation, and drying to become finished tea. It is then further processed into Dianhong Gongfu tea and cut to produce Dianhong broken tea. These procedures have long been carried out manually. This craft was successfully developed in 1939
Braised Pork with Black Tea, a specialty dish from Cangyuan, Lincang, combines the delicate aroma of tea with the rich flavor of meat—succulent yet not greasy, fragrant and delicious, making it a uniquely flavorful delicacy. Braised Pork with Black Tea uses pork belly as one of its main ingredients. Speaking of pork belly, many find it too fatty, especially those trying to lose weight, who wouldn’t dare touch it. But when perfectly paired with black tea...
Red tea-braised pork is a delicious, fragrant yet not greasy dish. The meat cooked with black tea not only has the aroma of the tea leaves but also remains tender and rich without being oily—very tasty. Recipe one for red tea-braised pork: half a pound of pork belly, 5g of black tea, sugar and salt to taste. Steep the black tea in 100ml of boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain out the tea leaves. Cut the meat into small pieces. Heat some oil in a pan, stir-fry the meat briefly, then add the tea infusion, salt (do not use soy sauce), and a small amount of sugar (this helps reduce the bitterness of the tea). Simmer the meat over low heat for 20 minutes, then it's ready to serve.
Dianhong tea is made from the tender leaves of high-quality large-leaf tea trees in Yunnan. The production process includes withering, rolling or cutting, fermentation, and drying to produce the finished tea. It is then further processed into Dianhong Gongfu tea, and cut into smaller pieces to make Dianhong broken tea. For a long time, all these steps were carried out manually. In 1939, the counties of Fengqing and Menghai successfully piloted
Shuangjiang Bingdao Tea is a specialty of Shuangjiang County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Bingdao tea has a long-lasting sweet aftertaste, bright liquor color, soft and even leaves. Compared to the dominant "Lao Ban Zhang" tea, it offers a richer and more delicate sweetness. Mengku Bingdao (also locally called "Bingdao") is a famous ancient tea-producing village in Shuangjiang County, renowned for producing Bingdao large-leaf tea.
Mengku Pu'er Tea is a specialty of Mengku Town, Shuangjiang County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. The Pu'er tea produced in Mengku Town is known for its rich flavor, reddish-brown infusion, pronounced aroma, and yellowish-brown leaves. It is widely popular in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, as well as cities such as Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Tea is a traditional pillar industry in Mengku Town and serves as a major source of rural economy and farmer income.
To make spiced tea eggs, wash the eggs and place them in a pot. Cover them with water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs and gently crack their shells. Wrap tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, scallions, and other seasonings in a piece of cheesecloth. Put the eggs back into the original pot and add soy sauce, salt, sugar, cooking wine, and the spice bag. Simmer until the flavor is fully absorbed. Once cooled, peel off the eggshells, slice the eggs, and arrange them on a plate.
Tea-Flavored Glutinous Chicken: Wash the glutinous rice and set it aside in a bowl; steep the tea leaves in boiling water, then set the leaves aside; when slaughtering the free-range chicken, let the chicken blood drip onto the glutinous rice, covering it adequately; cut the chicken into pieces and simmer them in a pot until about 80% cooked, then add the blood-soaked glutinous rice and cook for fifteen minutes; next, pour in the prepared tea leaves, add a small amount of lard, and continue cooking.
Dai Bamboo Tube Tea is a traditional tea beverage passed down through generations among the Dai people as a way to welcome guests. Its ingredients include sun-dried rough tea or fresh tea leaves sourced from ancient tea gardens in their pristine state, honey, and sweet, clear natural mountain spring water. The brewing process involves placing the sun-dried rough tea into a fresh bamboo tube, sealing the opening tightly, and then roasting it over a three-legged stove in the fireplace.
Tea belongs to the dicotyledonous plants, comprising about 30 genera and 500 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. China has 14 genera and 397 species, mainly produced in areas south of the Yangtze River. The leaves are alternate, simple, leathery, and lack stipules. Flowers are usually bisexual, occasionally unisexual, solitary or clustered in a few numbers, axillary or terminal. There are 5–7 sepals, arranged in an imbricate fashion.
Yongde tea is a specialty of Yongde County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Tea cultivation has a long history in Yongde. The region is home to 22 major ethnic groups, among which the ancestors of the ancient Yi, Wa, Blang, De’ang, and Lahu peoples were all closely connected to tea. Today, Yongde has 230,000 tea farmers, creating a landscape where every township grows tea and everyone is involved in the tea industry. The area boasts abundant tea tree resources and possesses some of the world’s finest natural conditions for tea cultivation. It also has unique ancient tea resources, making it one of the few tea-producing regions in Yunnan that does not use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other inorganic substances—offering purely natural, pollution-free, and eco-friendly tea. It is the region in Yunnan with the largest stock of ancient tea trees, the largest tea-growing area, the most concentrated plots exceeding 1,000 acres, the highest yield, the oldest trees, and the greatest representativeness. Yongde’s ancient tea tree germplasm resources exhibit a full range of growth forms, including wild-type, transitional-type, and cultivated-type ancient teas. These are large in scale, have been cultivated for a long time, and demonstrate the evolutionary process from wild to cultivated tea—serving as a microcosm of the history of tea cultivation. According to assessments by domestic experts, Yongde’s ancient tea trees represent the world’s highest-altitude, densest population, and drinkable wild ancient tea tree community, with some trees over a thousand years old.
Lili People's Bamboo Tube Thunder Tea is somewhat famous, involving a total of eight steps: ① warm water, ② bamboo splitting, ③ tea pounding, ④ utensil washing, ⑤ thundering, ⑥ bitter crossing, ⑦ tea serving, ⑧ utensil putting away. During preparation, a locally made fragrant bamboo tube is used as the vessel for roasting the tea. The tea leaves come from large-leaf varieties grown in the misty Lili mountain villages.
San Nan Famous Tea, a specialty from the Dai and Wa villages of Gengma...
Tengchong White Tea Tengchong County Tea Association White tea is a lightly fermented tea and a traditional famous tea created by Chinese tea farmers. It is one of the six major types of tea in China. It refers to a type of tea that, after picking, is not subjected to fixation or rolling but is processed only through sun-drying or low-heat drying. It features intact buds covered with fine hairs, a fresh and delicate aroma, and a clear yellow-green liquor with a light and refreshing taste.