Mengsong, in northeastern Menghai County, is home to Huazhuliangzi, the highest peak in Xishuangbanna. Get to know the two big Lahu ancient tea villages of Naka and Baotang, why Naka tea is tied to bamboo-tube tea, what sets Baotang tea apart, and Mengsong's overall style: high fragrance and sweet liquor.
Bada lies in western Menghai County, right on the Myanmar border, and in 1961 a wild-type tea tree more than 30 meters tall was found here on Daheishan. Where the Bada tea mountain is, the life of its tea king tree, the ancient Blang village of Zhanglang, and the style of Bada tea.
Hekai, in Menghun Town, Menghai County, right next to Lao Banzhang, is a Lahu tea mountain with a very large expanse of contiguous ancient gardens. Where Manlong Old Village, Manlong New Village, and Bangpen are, how big Hekai's ancient gardens are, and the style of Hekai tea, soft but with strength.
Pasha, in Gelanghe Township, Menghai County, neighbors Nannuo Mountain and has been tended by the Hani for generations. Pasha's location, its Old, Middle, and New villages plus Nangan and Laoduan, the style of Pasha tea, bitter but not astringent with a thick liquor, and how it compares with Lao Banzhang and Nannuo Mountain.
Nannuo Mountain was the first of Menghai's ancient tea mountains to become widely known, and the Hani have grown tea here for dozens of generations. The story of its tea king tree, villages like Banpo and Zhulin, the flavor of Nannuo tea, and its ties to modern tea-making in Menghai.
Besides Lao Banzhang, Xin Banzhang, and Lao Man'e, Bulang Mountain has villages like Manxinlong, Zhangjia Sandui, Jiliang, and Mannan. They're less famous but share the same strong Bulang Mountain backbone. Along the way, we clear up Mannuo, often grouped with them, which is actually at the far northern end of Menghai.
Lao Man'e is one of the oldest Blang villages on Bulang Mountain; inscriptions at its Buddhist temple put its founding more than 1,300 years ago. Lao Man'e bitter tea is direct in its bitterness and quick to clear, and the village also has a sweet tea with little bitterness. Its location, temple, ancient gardens, and the appeal of bitter tea.
Xin Banzhang and Lao Banzhang belong to the same Banzhang village committee, are both Hani villages, and sit about 7 kilometers apart in a straight line. Accounts of when it was founded differ between around 1950 and 1852. Xin Banzhang tea is noticeably sweeter and less bitter, and far more affordable than Lao Banzhang.
A latitude near the Tropic of Cancer, mountains at 1,000–2,000 meters, acidic red soils, mist and temperature swings, plus the Lancang River that links the famous mountains: together these make up pu'er's terroir. Higher altitude isn't necessarily better, and the terms "inside the river" and "outside the river" come from the Qing dynasty's division of Pu'er Prefecture.
Menghai style is strong and thick; Yiwu is fragrant with soft water; Lincang is sweet, aromatic, and full; Jingmai carries an orchid note. These descriptions are a flavor map that tea drinkers have built up over years of tasting, and "Banzhang is king, Yiwu is queen" is one of its sayings. Understand where they come from, and when they don't hold.
The origin on a pu'er package might name a prefecture, a county, a township, or a single village or garden. Once you understand the levels of "mountain," "village," and "zhai" (hamlet), you'll see the difference between a label saying Yiwu and one saying Mahei, and why villages on the same mountain can differ so much in price.
Coming back to Taiwan from a trip to Yunnan, each traveler may bring 1 kilogram of tea, with agricultural, livestock, and fishery products totaling no more than 6 kilograms. Anything over the limit needs the red channel and an import permit; tea for personal use can't be resold, and tea seeds and seedlings fall under separate plant quarantine rules.
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