Yunnan Large-Leaf: The Leaf Behind Pu'er

Tea is tea, so why does pu'er hold up to so many infusions, have such body, and keep for ten or twenty years? A big part of the answer lies in its raw material: Yunnan large-leaf tea.

What Is Large-Leaf Tea?

Tea plants can be roughly grouped by leaf size into small-leaf, medium-leaf, and large-leaf varieties. The oolong and Baozhong teas common in Taiwan mostly come from small- or medium-leaf varieties. Southern Yunnan, warm, humid, and rainy, has produced large-leaf tea trees with broad leaves and tall forms, known botanically as the Assam variety.

Large-leaf tea leaves can grow bigger than your palm, with thick leaf flesh and plump buds that often carry visible white down.

Why Large-Leaf Tea Suits Pu'er

Rich in Compounds

Fresh large-leaf tea leaves are rich in tea polyphenols, amino acids, water extracts, and more. This gives pu'er:

• A full, thick brew with "structure";
• Staying power: a single 8 g dragon pearl can be brewed many times in a gaiwan;
• Enough substance to transform slowly in storage, which is what gives raw tea room to age.

Distinct Character

Large-leaf teas often show noticeable bitterness and strength when young; with good tea, the bitterness and astringency fade quickly into huigan (the sweet aftertaste) and a mouthwatering feel. This "bitter first, sweet after" rhythm is why so many people fall in love with raw (sheng) pu'er.

Arbor Trees and Terrace Gardens

On Yunnan's mountains, large-leaf tea trees come in two forms:

• Arbor type: Not dwarfed by pruning, these trees can grow several meters tall or more. Older trees are called ancient trees (gushu), and younger ones large trees (dashu). Their roots run deep and their leaves take up a wide range of nutrients, and tea drinkers generally find them richer in taste and longer-lasting over infusions.
• Terrace (taidi) tea: From the 1960s and '70s onward, to make picking easier and raise yields, tea trees were dwarfed and planted densely in rows, looking like a typical tea plantation.

Both are Yunnan large-leaf; the difference lies in how they're grown and how old the trees are. For a detailed comparison, read Ancient-Tree, Large-Tree, and Terrace Tea: How to Tell Them Apart.

Mengku Large-Leaf

Yunnan has many local varieties, and Mengku large-leaf from Shuangjiang in Lincang is among the most famous. The Bingdao Village area is considered one of the key sources of Mengku large-leaf, and local historical records say tea trees were already being planted in Bingdao during the Chenghua era of the Ming dynasty (around 1485). Today's Bingdao Old Village still has a great many ancient tea trees. To learn more about this village, read Bingdao Old Village: The Sweetness of Mengku.

How to Taste the Character of Large-Leaf Tea

• Look at the spent leaves: Once brewed, the leaves are broad and thick, often noticeably larger than oolong leaves when spread out.
• Feel the texture: Large-leaf tea liquor has obvious body; it seems to have weight in your mouth.
• Count the infusions: Good large-leaf leaf holds up well, and raw pu'er in a gaiwan can often go around 10 infusions, with the flavor changing along the way.

Brew a Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearl in a gaiwan, spread out the spent leaves when you're done, and you'll see what unfurled large-leaf tea looks like.

Large-Leaf vs. Small-Leaf: How Do They Taste Different?

Brew a cup of Yunnan large-leaf raw pu'er and a cup of Taiwanese high-mountain oolong the same way, and the differences are clear:

• Leaves: Pu'er spent leaves are broad and thick; high-mountain oolong spent leaves are smaller and thinner, still curled from being rolled into semi-balls.
• Texture: Pu'er liquor is thick and has weight; high-mountain oolong liquor is clear, with a high aroma.
• Bitterness and huigan: Pu'er is more noticeably bitter and astringent when young, with strong huigan and mouthwatering; high-mountain oolong is low in bitterness and wins on aroma.
• Staying power: Both hold up to many infusions, and pu'er's later infusions often have a long, lingering sweetness.

Neither is better; they're just different scenery. Many Taiwanese tea drinkers used to oolong are drawn in by the huigan and body the first time they try a good raw pu'er.

Three National-Level Fine Cultivars

When China first certified national-level fine tea cultivars in the 1980s, Yunnan's Mengku large-leaf, Menghai large-leaf, and Fengqing large-leaf were all on the first list, generally numbered Huacha No. 12, No. 14, and No. 13, respectively. These three cultivars are still the backbone of Yunnan's tea gardens today:

• Mengku large-leaf: Native to Shuangjiang in Lincang; sweet, soft, with a full texture. Bingdao is here.
• Menghai large-leaf: Native to Menghai in Xishuangbanna; strong and intense, with abundant cha qi.
• Fengqing large-leaf: Native to Fengqing in Lincang; clean, lifted aroma, and also an important cultivar for Dianhong black tea.

A detailed comparison is in Mengku, Menghai, Fengqing: Yunnan's Three National Large-Leaf Cultivars.

Wild, Transitional, and Cultivated

Not all of Yunnan's tea trees are cultivated. Deep in the mountains there are naturally growing wild-type tea trees, as well as "transitional" types between wild and cultivated. The ancient tea tree in Bangwai, Lancang, estimated to be more than a thousand years old, is the best-known example and even appeared on a stamp in 1997. The ancient-tree pu'er we usually drink mostly comes from cultivated ancient tea trees planted by earlier generations and tended for hundreds of years. Further reading: Wild, Transitional, and Cultivated Types.

The Staying Power of Large-Leaf Tea

Large-leaf tea has thick leaves rich in compounds, and ordinary raw pu'er in a gaiwan can go 8–12 infusions. When the later infusions start to fade, steep longer or simmer the leaves, and you can still enjoy the last of the sweetness.

The Aromas of Large-Leaf Tea

Common aromas in large-leaf teas include floral, honey, and fruity notes, which turn woody and aged with storage. Large-leaf teas from different mountains express aroma differently: Bingdao leans honey-sweet, Jingmai has orchid notes, and Yiwu's floral aroma is deep and long.

FAQ

Is large-leaf tea always more bitter? Large-leaf tea is rich in compounds, so it's normal for young raw tea to be more noticeably bitter and astringent, but with good leaf the bitterness fades fast and quickly turns sweet. Pour the infusions off a little faster and you'll taste its smoother side.

If they're all large-leaf, why do different mountains taste so different? Besides the cultivar, altitude, soil, climate, tree age, surrounding plants, and processing all affect flavor. That's exactly what makes pu'er's mountain origins so fascinating.

What's the difference between Mengku large-leaf and Menghai large-leaf? The general impression is that Mengku is sweet and soft with a full texture, while Menghai is strong and intense with abundant cha qi; actual flavor is also shaped by altitude, soil, processing, and storage.