Bottom Valley Bamboo Tube Tea

Bottom Valley Bamboo Tube Tea

　　Bottom Valley Bamboo Tube Tea is a specialty of Bottom Valley Township in Guangnan County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The tea is shaped like a bamboo tube, with tightly packed contents. It features tender tea buds, abundant white pekoe, yellowish-green and clear bright liquor, rich aroma, fresh and sweet taste, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

　　Bottom Valley Township in Guangnan County is rich in tea production, with existing tea plantations covering an area of 10,228.79 acres, producing nearly 300,000 kilograms of tea annually. Bamboo Tube Tea (also known as Maiden’s Tea) is a traditional specialty of the Zhuang people in Bottom Valley, with over 300 years of production history. In the first year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1862 AD), Yang Chunji from Bottom Valley utilized the fragrance of golden bamboo and glutinous rice by packing tea leaves and glutinous rice inside a golden bamboo tube. The initial drying on a tea baking rack allowed moisture inside the bamboo tube to diffuse outward and redistribute, bringing out the three fragrances (tea aroma, golden bamboo scent, and glutinous rice aroma). After several complex procedures and blending with various auxiliary ingredients, the Bamboo Tube Tea takes on a bamboo-like shape with tightly packed contents, featuring tender tea buds, abundant white pekoe, yellowish-green and clear bright liquor, rich aroma, fresh and sweet taste, and a long-lasting aftertaste. This tea was originally given as a token of love from maidens to their sweethearts, hence also called “Maiden’s Tea.” Although today’s commercially available Bamboo Tube Tea is no longer limited to leaves picked by maidens, the traditional production methods are still followed. As a result, when brewed with hot water, it gives off a rich fragrance, offers a refreshing taste, and leaves a lingering aftertaste—making the experience of savoring Bamboo Tube Tea truly delightful. After the production of Bamboo Tube Tea was resumed and expanded in 1990, the product became popular throughout the province and the country, becoming one of Yunnan Province’s top ten premium-quality famous teas. When the President of China visited Guangzhou and Shenzhen, he tasted and praised Guangnan Bamboo Tube Tea.