Menghai and Lao Banzhang: The Bold Teas of Bulang Mountain

If Yiwu represents the softer side of pu'er, Menghai represents its strength. Here you'll find long-established tea factories, a dense cluster of ancient tea mountains, and Lao Banzhang, which many consider the "king of pu'er."

Menghai: A Pu'er Stronghold

Menghai County (勐海) lies in western Xishuangbanna, bordering Myanmar. During the Republican era, a new trade route opened through Myanmar and India to Tibet, and Menghai replaced Pu'er as the main tea distribution hub in southern Yunnan. In 1940, the predecessor of the Menghai Tea Factory was founded here, and over the following decades it produced many classic pu'er recipes. "Menghai taste" also became tea drinkers' shorthand for a rich, full style.

Well-known tea mountains around Menghai include Nannuo Mountain, Bulang Mountain (Lao Banzhang, Xin Banzhang, Lao Man'e, and others), Hekai, Pasha, Bada, and Mengsong.

Nannuo Mountain

Nannuo Mountain is one of the earliest-known ancient tea mountains in Menghai. It still has large stretches of cultivated ancient tea gardens, with tea trees more than 800 years old. Nannuo tea is balanced in taste, with a clean, sweet aroma and moderate bitterness and astringency, making it a great introduction to Menghai tea.

Lao Banzhang

Lao Banzhang Village (老班章) is in Bulang Mountain Township, Menghai County. Its residents are mainly Hani, and the altitude is about 1,600–1,900 meters. The climate is mild, winter and spring are misty, and the ancient tea gardens are well preserved.

The Lao Banzhang Style

• Strong cha qi: Full and heavy on the palate; the brew has real weight.
• Bitter base: The bitterness is noticeable but fades quickly rather than lingering on the tongue.
• Powerful huigan: After you swallow, sweetness rises up from the throat and lasts.
• Deep aroma: Not a high fragrance floating over the cup, but an aroma that sits inside the liquor.

This intense character makes Lao Banzhang a favorite of seasoned tea drinkers and one of the most expensive mountains on the pu'er market.

Other Villages on Bulang Mountain

• Lao Man'e: Known for bitterness; the bitterness is strong but the huigan comes quickly, and some people seek out this taste specifically.
• Xin Banzhang: Next door to Lao Banzhang, similar in style but a bit softer.

How to Brew Menghai Tea

Menghai teas have strong personalities. For your first try, adjust like this:

• Use a little less tea, for example 6–7 g in a 110 ml gaiwan.
• Pour off the first few infusions quickly, after 5–10 seconds.
• If the bitterness and astringency feel too strong, lower the water to around 90°C, then go back to boiling water once the leaves have opened.

Strong or Soft, It's All Pu'er

Menghai's strength, Yiwu's softness, and Bingdao's sweetness aren't better or worse than one another; they're just different personalities. Many people start out liking soft, sweet teas, then over time come to appreciate the force of huigan after bitterness; others always prefer the gentler cup. Part of the fun of pu'er is finding so many faces within a single type of tea.

If you'd like to start from the soft, sweet end, try the Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearls from Bingdao in Lincang, then compare it with a Menghai tea.

Menghai's Classic Recipes

Starting in the 1970s, tea factories in the Menghai area released many classic recipes named with four-digit recipe numbers (maihao), such as 7542 (raw), 7572 (ripe), and 8582 (raw). These recipes blend leaf of different grades and from different mountains in pursuit of a stable, consistent flavor. Produced year after year, they became the first cake many people ever tried. To learn how to read recipe numbers, see How to Read a Pu'er Wrapper.

Blends and Single-Origin Teas

Pu'er is commonly made in two ways:

• Blend: Leaf from different mountains and of different grades is mixed in set proportions, with each making up for the others' weaknesses, for a balanced flavor and consistent quality.
• Single-origin: Only leaf from a single mountain, or even a single village, is used, giving a distinct flavor that shows the character of the origin.

The old Menghai factories excel at blending; with famous-mountain ancient-tree tea in vogue in recent years, single-origin teas have become more and more common. Both approaches make sense: people who like stability and balance tend to prefer blends, while those who like exploring origins go after single-origin teas.

The Five Villages of Banzhang

"Banzhang," where Lao Banzhang sits, is actually a village committee in Bulang Mountain Township, Menghai County, overseeing five villages: Lao Banzhang, Xin Banzhang, Lao Man'e, Bakanan, and Bakalong. Lao Banzhang and Xin Banzhang are mainly Hani, while Lao Man'e is a long-established Blang village known for its bitter tea. Within the same village committee, everything from altitude to ethnicity to the character of the tea differs. Details are in The Five Villages of Bulang Mountain.

Menghai Large-Leaf

Menghai's boldness has to do with the local tea cultivar. Menghai large-leaf, native to the Nannuo Mountain area, was named one of the first national-level fine tea cultivars in the 1980s. Its buds and leaves are plump and its taste strong, forming the backbone of the "Menghai taste." Further reading: Mengku, Menghai, Fengqing: Yunnan's Three National Large-Leaf Cultivars.

Home of the Classic Recipes

7542, 7572, 8582: these recipe numbers so familiar to tea drinkers are all Menghai Tea Factory recipes. The last digit, "2," stands for Menghai. These recipes blend leaf from different mountains around Menghai and are the best-known expression of the "Menghai taste." The story is in 7542, 8582, 7572: The Story of Pu'er's Classic Recipe Numbers.

Menghai's Weather

Most of Menghai County lies between 1,000 and 2,000 meters. The dry season in winter and spring is misty with large day-night temperature swings, and the rainy season in summer and fall brings plenty of rain. This climate makes the buds grow slowly in spring and accumulate plenty of compounds, which is one reason Menghai spring tea is so thick and full.

FAQ

Is Lao Banzhang good for beginners? Lao Banzhang has an intense personality, with abundant cha qi and noticeable bitterness, so the first time you drink it, it may feel quite "punchy." We suggest starting with soft, sweet teas from Yiwu or Bingdao, and once you've developed a feel for huigan after bitterness, come back and experience Lao Banzhang's power.

Is Menghai tea good for aging? Menghai tea is thick in taste with a strong structure, and it is generally considered well suited to long-term storage. With aging, the bitterness and astringency transform and the texture becomes fuller.

Which county is Lao Banzhang in? Lao Banzhang belongs to Banzhang Village, Bulang Mountain Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture.