Ancient Tea Gardens in Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam: The Other Side of the Border

Tea trees don't recognize borders. The native range of southern Yunnan's large-leaf tea trees naturally extends into the northern mountains of Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. Villages on the other side of the border likewise have old tea trees, likewise make maocha by sun-drying, and some press it into cakes too. Getting to know them helps clarify what the word "pu'er" means.

Do Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam Have Ancient Tea Trees?

Yes. Botanical records of the native range of the Yunnan large-leaf variety (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) include Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam; wild Camellia taliensis is also distributed from southwestern Yunnan to northern Myanmar and northern Thailand.

• Myanmar: Shan State is the main tea area. The Namhsan area of northern Shan State is the traditional tea-growing land of the Palaung (De'ang), Kengtung in eastern Shan State also produces tea, and Kokang to the north has historically counted tea as an important crop. The Burmese make tea into pickled tea leaves, lahpet, part of their food culture.
• Laos: Phongsaly Province in the north borders Yunnan. Ban Komaen, near the town of Phongsaly, has old tea trees up to about 6 meters tall, said locally to be as much as 400 years old. Lao tea is mostly picked from old trees and largely exported to China, and the first spring material is often made into pu'er-style compressed tea.
• Vietnam: The northern provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai have ancient "Shan Tuyết" (snow mountain tea) trees, tall enough that pickers have to climb them, with buds and leaves covered in white down. Vietnam mostly makes it into green tea, though there are sun-dried and compressed products too.

The teas of these places have their own history and terroir; they're fine teas worth getting to know, not substitutes for Yunnan tea.

Do Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam Also Make Pu'er?

There is tea made with "pu'er processing": sun-dried maocha, steamed and pressed into cakes, even pile-fermented into ripe tea. English-language tea books also often mention that border areas of Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar around Yunnan produce pu'er-style tea, though not much of it reaches international markets.

Can Foreign Raw Material Be Called Pu'er?

Under China's national standard GB/T 22111-2008 Product of Geographical Indication: Pu'er Tea, pu'er is tea made from sun-dried tea of Yunnan large-leaf varieties within the protected area and processed within the protected area. The protected area covers only 11 prefectures and cities in Yunnan, so foreign raw material falls outside this definition. Pu'er is also protected under the name "Pu'er Cha" in the China–EU agreement on geographical indications. What the standard says is in Pu'er's National Standard and Geographical Indication.

Under this definition, more fitting names would be ones that state origin and processing, such as "Myanmar sun-dried compressed tea" or "Lao ancient-tree sun-dried tea."

Do Guangdong and Hunan Make Pu'er-Style Tea Too?

Yes. Historically, both Guangdong and Hunan produced pu'er-style tea; for example, some Guangdong factories' cake teas used Yunnan maocha in the early days and later mixed in Guangdong maocha. After the national standard took effect in 2008, similar teas made outside Yunnan were mostly renamed "dark tea" or given other names, which is why some Guangdong producers objected to the standard at the time. Other dark teas are compared in Pu'er and Other Dark Teas.

Is Foreign Tea Used to Pass Off as Pu'er?

A common view in the tea world is that border maocha looks much like Yunnan sun-dried tea, and once the labeling is stripped and it's mixed into a blend, it's very hard to tell from the dry leaf alone. That's not a problem with foreign tea itself, but with unclear labeling; foreign tea honestly labeled by origin is a legitimate choice in its own right. What consumers can do is buy only tea that's clearly labeled with a source the seller can explain. Further reading: Common Traps.

Can Foreign Tea Be Called Pu'er in Taiwan?

Taiwan's rules focus on "labeling must be truthful":

1. Origin must be stated truthfully: Article 22 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation requires packaged food to state its place (country) of origin; Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules explains that the origin of imported food is determined under the Rules of Origin for Imported Goods. For plant products harvested locally, the place of origin is the country where they were harvested; simple dividing, packaging, relabeling, or mixing that doesn't create a significant difference doesn't change the origin.
2. Mixed products must list each origin: If an imported mixed food doesn't undergo substantial transformation, each place (country) of origin must be listed in order from highest to lowest content.
3. No misleading claims: Article 28 of the same Act provides that food labeling, promotion, or advertising must not be false, exaggerated, or likely to mislead.

In addition, Taiwan opened imports of pu'er from mainland China in 2004, the only mainland tea category allowed; import documents for mainland goods must state "made in mainland China." Tea from Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam is labeled with its own country of origin. So tea from Myanmar should be labeled Myanmar; if the product name says "pu'er," people may easily assume it's Yunnan tea, and the clearer the labeling, the less room for dispute. Import rules are detailed in Taiwan's Rules for Importing Pu'er and Packaging Labels in Taiwan.

How to Read the Origin on a Package

• Find the "place of origin" field: "Mainland China" or "Yunnan" is one thing; "Myanmar," "Laos," or "Vietnam" is another. Both may be good tea, but they aren't the same tea.
• Check for multiple origins: Mixed products list multiple origins by proportion.
• Check the domestic responsible company: Taiwanese packaging must give the responsible company's name, phone number, and address, so you can ask directly if you have questions.
• Do the product name and origin match?: If the product name names a famous Yunnan mountain but the origin is another country, it's worth asking.

Tips for buying online are in Buying Pu'er Online: Photos, Labels, and Sellers.

FAQ

Q: Do Myanmar and Laos have ancient tea trees?
A: Yes. Shan State in Myanmar, Phongsaly in Laos, and Ha Giang in Vietnam all have old tea trees; the native range of the Yunnan large-leaf variety naturally extends to these places.

Q: Can foreign raw material be called pu'er?
A: Under GB/T 22111-2008, pu'er's raw material and processing must both be within Yunnan's protected area, so foreign raw material falls outside this definition.

Q: Can foreign tea be called pu'er in Taiwan?
A: Taiwan requires origin to be stated truthfully and labeling not to mislead; tea from Myanmar should be labeled Myanmar, and calling it pu'er in the product name can easily lead people to think it's Yunnan tea.

Q: How do I read the origin on a package?
A: Look at the "place (country) of origin" field; mixed products list multiple origins by proportion. If the product name and origin don't match, ask the domestic responsible company listed on the label.