Yulong Snow Mountain Snow Tea

Yulong Snow Mountain Snow Tea

　　Yulong Snow Mountain Snow Tea is a specialty of Yulong County in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. The snow tea is as white as snow and, after processing, resembles tea leaves in appearance. It grows only on high-altitude snow mountains, which is why it is called "snow tea."

　　The snow tea from Yulong Snow Mountain is a lichen belonging to the genus Thamnolia of the family Icmadophilaceae. It has a delicate fragrance and can be brewed alone or combined with various types of tea, as well as with ingredients like chrysanthemum or licorice.

　　Snow tea, approximately 3–7 cm in height and 1–2 mm in diameter, is slender at both ends, cylindrical in the middle, slightly curved, and white in color. It grows on damp, shady rocks or ground surfaces near the snow line at altitudes of 4,000–5,000 m. It was originally distributed across some of the high-altitude and cold mountainous regions in western China. In recent years, due to severe environmental pollution, snow tea has disappeared in certain areas, but it can still be found in the pristine ecological environment of Yulong Snow Mountain.