Incidents in a Ruined City (China): A Novel of Life and Love

Today, we'd like to talk about the Lincang tea area. When people think of Lincang Tea, they might not be familiar with it since Puer tea is not as well known, but when it comes up in conversation about Iceland, everyone will know what you're talking about. Today we'll be discussing Lincang tea's unique flavor profiles.

Lincang is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan, China. It lies between two large river systems: the Lancang River and the Nujiang River. The city was formerly called "Meng Ning" but later came to be known as "Lincang", which means "bordering the Lancang River".

Dali is situated at 22° to 24° north latitude, with the Tropic of Cancer passing through it. It has an abundance of sunshine and rainfall, and its average elevation is about 2,000 meters above sea level, with a thick layer of red soil. All these factors make it one of the best places for tea cultivation.

Pu'er tea in the northern part of Lingcang is mainly processed as Yunnan Gold. The original Pu'er species was a cross between Mengku big leaf and local tea trees, so it retains the aroma of the preserved small leaves at home and the rich internal ingredients of the big leaves. It tastes sweet and fragrant, with a bright red soup color, full of fragrance, strong comprehensive performance. If you are interested, I can introduce Lingcang Yunnan Gold tea to everyone later on separately.

The south, mainly dominated by Mengku big leaf varieties. Mengku tea is thick and rich in flavor with a strong aroma and taste that can stimulate the senses. Compared to Pu'er, due to its high content of tea polyphenols, the taste is slightly bitter but the sweetness is more pronounced, with a long-lasting sweet and mellow flavor. The tea soup has good body and direct aftertaste. In terms of aroma, bitterness and brewing capacity, big leaf varieties are significantly higher than small leaf varieties. Of course, compared to Menghai big leaf varieties, Mengku big leaf varieties will be slightly less bitter.

Lincang's most famous peak is Gengku 18 villages. In the streets, there was a saying: Gengku 18 villages, every village has good tea.

Mengku 18 villages

East Half Mountain: Mengbing, Bao Nuo, Na Jiao, Bang Du, Na Sai, Dong Lai, Mang Na, Chengzi.

Western Nyainqêntanglha Range: Iceland Peak, Bar Ka, Dongpo, Daguozhai, Gongnong, Banggai, Bingshan, Hedong, Daxueshan, Xiaodaguo.

Tea leaves from the two hilly areas, with differences in geographical position, show big differences in style. Tea plants on the eastern hills have long sunshine hours, their stems are strong and tightly knotted, a rich fragrance, sweet and mellow flavor, refreshing and strongly sweet aftertaste.

The tea of West Hill is rich in soft beauty, bitter and astringent in flavor, but quick to transform. The tea soup is sweet, smooth and mellow, with a heavy tea texture and a long aftertaste that's sweet and mellow. Its vocal timbre is very comfortable and has high infusibility, even the last infusion still has a sweet and mellow feel.

Most notable among them are Iceland, Shanghu, Bazi, Shengguo, Dasenshan and Manglu several tea mountains.

Some of the more famous villages in Lincang tea district are:

Icelandic homesteads and Icelandic five-settlements

The most famous tea area in Lin Cang is Bì Xī Lá (also known as Bing Shan).

"Sweet as rock candy" refers to the low bitterness of Icelandic tea, its strong fragrance, a smooth and pure mouthfeel with continuous sweetness, refreshing taste, intense throat-tingling effect, deep lingering aftertaste.

The Icelandic Puerh tea has a thick and robust strip, with prominent sprouts. The color of the young tea leaves is rich brown. The harvesting craftsmanship of Icelandic tea is strict, one bud two leaves, with clear strips.

Strictly speaking, Iceland refers to the core producing area of Icelandic tea. The rise of Iceland quickly drove the development of nearby villages' tea and the concept of "Iceland Five Villages" emerged, becoming a broad sense of Icelandic tea. The "Five Villages" refer to five villagers groups under the jurisdiction of the Icelandic village committee: Iceland (Yīnghuá), Nánqǐng, Nuówù, Bǎiwāi, and Dìjiè.

Icelandic "Hof" (settlements) and the Five Settlers of Iceland

Icelandic Pu-erh tea quality characteristics

Appearance: The tea strips are robust, full, plump and dense. Evenly colored in greenish blue or dark green. New compressed tea cakes usually have no distinct flavor. However if heated to high temperatures a sweet scent is noticed.

Ropes are abundant and evenly colored with a greenish blue hue.

Texture: Strong, sharp and refreshing, it is sweet and slightly bitter after being heated. It has a rich tea flavor, refreshing and cooling mouthfeel, good for nourishing the lungs and throat.

Color: Mainly yellow-green, orange-yellow, golden color, and bright soup color.

Yellow Tea Soup

Fragrance: The scent of flowers, fruit and honey is strong and sweet with a hint of aniseed and mountain flower.

Leaf bottom: The new tea products are mainly green, yellow-green in color, highly active and relatively elastic.

The unique taste characteristics of Iceland Pu-erh tea.

The entry is very low and almost imperceptible, the throat gradually feels a slight coolness, the cheek continuously moistens the sensation like two small streams.

Aroma is subtle and rich, slightly astringent and lightly bitter with the bitterness quickly dissipating on the tip of the tongue. The tea has a particularly fast refreshing effect, quicker than Ban Zhang. It has a special flavor in Pu'er tea, a sweet and floral aroma that is quite nice.

Icelandic tea is truly as its name says, when you first put it in your mouth it tastes quite bland but afterwards the whole mouth gets a refreshing tea taste. The tongue feels sweet at the root and saliva continues to be secreted from the cheeks.

True Icelandic tea, which has a distinct licorice flavor if it doesn't have this flavor, no matter how good it tastes, is not Icelandic tea. The counterfeit Icelandic tea cannot leave you with a refreshing sweetness after drinking, and can only imitate the high aroma of Icelandic tea, but cannot imitate the unique refreshing effect of true Icelandic tea.

Icelandic tree tea: 3 million ISK per kilogram, large tree tea: 8 million ISK per kilogram, small tree tea: 30 thousand ISK per kilogram.

Icelandic South Tea: 40 yuan/kg, big tree tea: 20 yuan/kg, small tree tea: 10 yuan/kg.

Icelandic land boundary tea: 35,000,000/ kg, large tree tea: 20,300,000/ kg, small tree tea: 10,001,500/ kg.

Icelandic Moss Tea: 25004.5/ton, Big Tree Tea: 15002/ton, Small Tree Tea: 7012/ton.

Icelandic Mugwort Tea: 25/4 kg, Big tree tea: 80/18/0.8 kg, Small tree tea: 70/12/2 kg.

So, for those tea enthusiasts out there who are considering buying Iceland tea, you can look up the price and verify its authenticity. I personally think that Baisha Village's Ancient Tree Tea is on par with Iceland Old Village in terms of quality, so if you're interested, please learn more about Baishashe.

Ancient Return to Tea Mountain

In the past it belonged to Dong Xiang Township of Lincang County, 12 km away from the township committee and 16 km away from the county government.

In the past, although Shixingu has a relatively low elevation of only about 750 meters, its tea quality is excellent and the aroma spreads far and wide. The fact that it is surrounded by rocks in various stages of disintegration was due to its location on the banks of the Lancang River. With high humidity, situated between the vast Wuliang Mountain Range and the Bangdong Great Snow Mountain, a large diurnal temperature difference creates an environment with high air humidity that's uniquely favorable for ancient tea cultivation.

Anciently, Pu'er tea's characteristics

Appearance: Ligule strongly clasped, auricles numerous, ligules thin and long, fit tightly, dark green in color.

Tea soup: The tea soup is pale yellow and transparent, very smooth and bright, with no turbidity or impurities at all.

Aroma: The aroma is rich and mellow, reminiscent of dry tea leaves. There's also a hint of forest fragrance, along with the sweetness of flowers and fruits. When placed in a covered bowl, the aroma continues to linger around your nose, fresh and smooth with every breath.

Tea soup: With the entrance of tea soup, you can feel the high fusion of tea aroma and tea soup. The fragrance of the tea is restrained, but it comes out from the throat after the tea enters the mouth, not only lasting for a long time, but also clear, natural and far-reaching. Orange yellow bright, color vivid, looks oily with luster. Fragrance is high and windy, flavor is slightly bitter and sweet, throat sound of osmanthus fragrance refreshing, tea flavor thick and mellow, aftertaste is strong and can promote saliva, formerly returned tea rich in quality very tolerant of brewing, tea soup concentration high, taste heavy, aroma sharp, tea flavor strong yet soup feeling smooth, waterway delicate accompanied by the dense and strong aftertaste and saliva, and the mouth-lingering fragrance lasts long.

The leaf base: dry tea leaf color is deep green, with a high luster, leaf quality thick and soft; young bud green, plump and many floccules. Leaf surface neat and fat, young buds and leaves are light green, no obvious mixed leaves or wilted leaves, conversion efficiency is very high.

Long ago, the tea soup was bright and transparent, fragrant and buoyant, with a subtle sweetness. The throat resonance of the soup was rich and fresh, the tea flavor mellow and thick, returning sweetness and promoting saliva. The former tea had a rich internal quality that could withstand brewing for a long time, the tea soup was thick, the flavor was heavy, the fragrance was high and sharp, the tea flavor was strong yet the soup sensation was smooth, with fine water flow accompanied by the richness of the aftertaste and the promotion of saliva, and the lingering tea scent lasted in the mouth.

Boiling, soup color is pale yellow and bright, entry is fragrant, no impurities, sweet taste; after three infusions the sweetness is more evident, fragrance is sharp, cheeks and tongue bottom promote saliva secretion, tongue surface feels slightly cool, quickly digested; four to six infusions, fragrance like orchid, rock sugar fragrance gradually apparent, water quality relatively thick and viscous, heavy hand-poured bitterness appears, lighter, easy digestion; after seven infusions, soup color almost unchanged, clear, thicker, better, still slightly cool, throat sound deep, flavor lasting long; ten infusions later, the water becomes pale, sweetness decreases slightly, good re-sweetness, rock sugar fragrance remains.

Formerly known as: Gǔ Shù Chá (Ancient Tree Tea): 800.01 yuan/kg; Dà Shù Chá (Large Tree Tea): 45,000 yuan/kg; Xiǎo Shù Chá (Small Tree Tea): 8,001 yuan/kg.

Bazhong tea mountain

Bada Xiu Gushan is located in Mangkuan Town, Mangkuan District of Lunan County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. It is famous for its ancient tea trees, known as the "King of Tea" and one of the most renowned teas in China. Bada Xiangzhuang is a village at the eastern foot of Mangkuan Mountain and is a must-visit destination for tea lovers.

Ba'na is the best preserved area of Putao tea plantations, and Putao has the largest tea plantation in the country. The oldest tea tree in Putao stands tall at Ba’na.

Loquat tea

The causes of the twig tea is due to the farmers' intervention in the long production process. The method of cultivation here, known as "reserve-picking method", is a traditional way of cultivating twigs, where if there are four sprouts on one branch, three are picked when harvesting and the most robust one is left.

Actually, this method was initially adopted for convenience when picking the leaves. The old tea trees were too high, and one had to either set up a platform or climb onto the tree to pick the leaves, but with the help of bamboo stalks, we can simply stand under the tree and pluck off the tender shoots. Later on, tea farmers discovered that this method not only facilitates picking but also helps in protecting the tea trees by allowing them to keep the most vigorous shoots intact which then continue to grow into strong tea plants.

Fuqiao tea has been handed down because of its good taste, sweet and can be brewed multiple times.

The Pu-erh tea from Qizong Tea Factory has a thick and plump appearance, with yellow green color, silver tips visible. It has a sweet honey fragrance.

Bunches are thick and plump in appearance, with a yellow-green silver sheen visible.

After brewing, the tea soup of Gusu ancient tree tea has a clear amber color, transparent and bright, with a sweet and full aroma, honey fragrance floating in the air, floral fragrance apparent. The tea water is fragrant, hanging cup fragrance, bottom of cup fragrance all penetrating into one's heart.

The tea has a strong tea aroma, the soup is thick and full-bodied with a masculine taste, sweet but not overly so. Compared to Iceland ancient tree tea, it's good value for money and suitable as an everyday tea.

This year's Pu-erh tea prices: 18 yuan/kg for ancient trees, 8 yuan/kg for big trees, and 3 yuan/kg for small trees.

Knows Teashan (Tea Mountain)

Situated north of Mengku Town, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, it is about 19 kilometers from Mengku Town and 20 kilometers from Dongjiang County. The altitude reaches 1,740 meters above sea level. There are currently about 6,000 mu (0.8 square km) of ancient tea gardens, with an average age of the trees being around 110 to 130 years old.

Understand that the ancient tea trees are on the same branch as those in Bangma Snow Mountain, Pu'er. The taste is also similar. More than 150-year-old tea trees are all of the Lahu ethnic group's variety. After the change of Han nationality to flow into double Jiangan County in 1904, there were over 2000 hectares of tea trees planted by Han people. Due to the fact that it is hidden in mountains and forests, and traffic is blocked, human intervention on tea trees are very little. Thus, these tea trees can grow freely in clumps.

The most distinctive feature of old tree tea is "bitterness turns to sweetness".

Having a cup of old tea, the flavor is rich and full-bodied, with a long aftertaste. Upon entering the mouth, it's born bitter, then becomes pungent, followed by sweetness. The mouthwatering sensation is quick to develop and leaves a lasting freshness. A rich and layered flavor that fills the mouth, fragrant aroma and with a strong impact.

People say, liking is a fleeting infatuation and loving is a long-term appreciation. To someone who understands love, after years of polishing, it becomes deeper and more serene. It becomes a love that you can't let go of. As far as I'm concerned, to someone who has a similar taste, the best description would be "I don't need to say much about it. If you don't understand, why bother to talk?" The continuation of a pleasant taste, and the inheritance of a bold tea aroma.

The tea is like a young and vigorous youth, with a sharp edge exposed. Upon entry, there's a hint of bitterness, slightly astringent, but it quickly turns sweet, the aroma bursts forth, the tea soup is full-bodied yet has impact, the aroma is rich and full of vitality!

In the middle is a cup of tea soup, like a dignified and majestic middle-aged person. Extremely layered, with a mouthful of fresh and sweet flavor; the tea soup from beginning to end gradually changes from grandiose to rounded and full-bodied, the initial bitterness is gradually covered up by the thick richness of the tea soup, as if there's a breath flowing into the lungs through the throat, balanced and harmonious.

The aftertaste of tea soup is smooth and serene, returning to a tranquil state. The tea soup's clarity, sweetness, and richness are unchanging, like the calm surface of the sea, soft as silk, with tiny ripples!

The tea leaves are plump and fat, with a sharp tip. The color is dark green, the thread clear, and the white hairs visible. The shape of the tea cake is consistent, the thickness is moderate, and it is easy to transform in later stages.

The tea soup and taste: the extracted liquid is rich, with a profound and distinctive aftertaste, allowing the aroma of the tea leaves to blend into the tea soup, bringing a clean and lively spirit, an airy rhythm, making life every day sweet and lively.

Among them, Moliu is known as "little Iceland" and is considered the most valuable tea mountain in China.

The tea leaves are plump and tender with a sharp tip visible, in the first 3 brews there is a hint of orchid fragrance in the tea soup, the tea quality is full-bodied and smooth. The more times it's brewed, the more stable and reserved the aroma becomes, as does the tea quality. The taste is rich and abundant like Iceland green tea, fresh and refreshing with a long-lasting sweetness.

Tendril thick and fleshy, glabrous

The new tea of Ma Li Ancient Tree Tea has a rich and abundant taste, its fragrance is close to Icelandic Tea but not as sweet as it. It has a feeling of masculinity, freshness and briskness, sweetness and quick aftertaste. It gives people a fresh and mellow sensation.

Loess tree tea is most praised by people for its "orchid fragrance" and "mountain wildness", orchid fragrance melted into the soup, mountain wilderness straight to the throat, drink after a while, sweet taste accompanied by a return of sweetness to come up again and again, let people in unexpected beforehand, violent then soft more distinctive.

This year prices for green tea: 15,000/1 kg, big tree 8,000-10,000 /1 kg, small tree 6,000/1 kg.

Mao lie gushu cha shu: 30,004 yuan/kg, big tree 18,002.3 yuan/kg, small tree 8,001.2 yuan/kg.

Da Xueshan Cha Shan ( literally, "Great Snow Mountain Tea Mountain")

The Da Xueshan Wild Tea Plantation is the world's highest and densest plantation of large-leaf tea plants. The plantation is situated in the mid-slope region of Da Xueshan Mountain, Daxiangjiang County, Yunnan Province, China.

Puer tea from big snow mountain, the leaves of the tea are fat and wide, special aroma with a hint of orchid, vigorous and thick, slightly bitter and sweet to turn sweet. The sweetness on the tongue is filled with a full-bodied fragrance in the middle and back of the upper jaw, strong stimulating sensation in the mouth.

Here is the translation: Above are the overall situation of Da Xue Shan tea plants and tea leaves, but do you know that there are more than one Da Xue Shan?

According to its location, there is Baima Snow Mountain, Mengku Snow Mountain, Bangdong Snow Mountain, and Yonde Snow Mountain. Is it getting confusing? Let's break down each one in detail!

Location of 4 major snow mountains:

Mangkuan Daxueshan: Mangkuan Daxueshan is a mountain in Donglang County, Linchuan City, Yunnan Province, the main peak of Baima Mountain. It has an elevation of 3,233.5 meters and from afar it looks like a green screen to the northwest from the county town.

Bongma Mountain: Bongma mountain is located in the west of Binchuan county, Dali city, Yunnan province and Gengma County, south-north longitudinal fault zone branch ridge.

Beng Dong Snow Mountain: Located on the western bank of Lancang River in Northeastern Lincang County, 19 kilometers away from the city.

Yongde Great Snow Mountain Scenic Area is located in the northeast of Yongde County, Yunnan Province, China, on the west bank of Lancang River, 19 km straight-line distance from county town. It is a state-level natural conservation area and a relatively closed subtropical high-altitude primeval forest zone.

Dà Xuě Shān Chá Qū  (Da Xueshan Tea District)

Mengku Daxueshan (Big Snow Mountain of Mengku)

Mengku Daxueshan is located in the northwest part of Longchuan, Dayi County. The main peak reaches an altitude of 3,233 meters, while the tea forests can be found at about 2,750 meters on its slopes. Not only are the old tea trees stand tall but their ages also exceed a thousand years.

Among the four large Snow mountains, Mengku Da Xueshan is still the most popular with tea lovers. Its tea tastes fresh and vigorous, with fine and smooth water routes, soup containing fragrance, and orchid fragrance bringing a strong wild scent of the mountain.

The tea flavor concentration increases in a stepped trend, and when drinking to the middle or later stage, one can feel the obvious sweetness of brown sugar in the tea soup. In addition, due to the older age of the tea trees, its tea leaves have a longer brewing time than those of other mountains.

Of course, it's also a bit higher in terms of price. The purchase price this year is 35,000-40,000 yuan per kilogram.

Bandma Dagu Snow Mountain

The Bandung Mountains has a tea plantation that grows at an altitude of 2200-2750 meters above sea level, with an average annual temperature below 11°C and an annual rainfall of around 2,000 mm.

The soup color is pale yellow, and both tea aroma and cupping aroma are rich. The fragrance type is honey-like with a hint of orchid, the fragrance does not float, but it's thick. Tea flavor appears, not bitter, and dissolves quickly. The quality of tea is good, water road fine, relatively moist, and has a clear pressing tongue sensation.

The tea has a strong scent, and there is evident heat on the back, shoulders, and head. The abdomen is swollen and the throat feels full. This tea has good consistency at the bottom, almost no mixed tea, and cleanliness is also quite good.

East Fenghuangshan, Baishan County, Liaoning Province

Beng Dong Snow Mountain, also known as Lincang Snow Mountain, is a natural ecological tea mountain which is a relatively closed low-latitude high-altitude primitive forest area.

Eastern Bao has three wonders: one is the jade forest of jinglin, ancient trees towering to the sky, roots like solid rocks, interdependent and mutually beneficial. Two are the numerous peaks standing tall, clouds rising and mist spreading, unique peaks rising above others, strange stones scattered about. Three is the return of the previous Na Han, fresh, crisp and sweet, Eastern Bao has a rock rhythm, ancient tea accompanied by orchid fragrance!

Nature's craftsmanship has preserved in Bang Dong tea the fleeting youth of ancient trees, the spirit and elegance that were once present in a thousand hills and valleys; there is flavor to be found in the ordinary, and fragrance in bitterness. This has given rise to the unique regional charm of Bang Dong tea – "yù yùn huā xiāng" (rocky spirits and floral fragrance).

The overall age of the trees on Pugong Mountain is younger than that of Menku Mountain, tea soup concentration high, bitter and astringent entry, bitterness and astringency fast, rich layers, strong but restrained tea aroma and smooth mouthfeel, water road fine, accompanied by a strong concentration aftertaste and refreshing saliva, oral retention of fragrance lasting.

This year, the price of ancient tree tea is 10001-1200 yuan per kilogram.

Yǒngdé Dà Xuě Shān (Eternal Goodness Great Snow Mountain)

The Yundong Da Xueshan is composed of Mangan Tea Mountain, Manli Tea Mountain, Banguang Township cow grazing tea garden etc. The overall age of the trees is the smallest, and its characteristic is not obvious. Below we will introduce in detail Mangan Tea Mountain, here does not elaborate further.

In general, the Yuzuo is thick and strong, with a clear and bright soup color, rich and mellow aroma, full and harmonious taste, sweet and smooth to drink with a slight bitterness, obvious refreshing feeling on the tongue, and rich flavor. Compared to other tea regions, Yundekeda Snow Mountain has a more concentrated and thick flavor, and is relatively cheap, often used for ripe tea.

The purchase price is 3600 yuan per kilogram this year.

Huang Long Shan

Ban Pu Shan is located in the north of Yungdrung Bumpa, belongs to Yungdron Snow Mountain, and its ancient tea tree is famous for "the fragrance of Iceland, sweet like I-wu, and harmonious as a past return". Its raw tea leaves are plump, tender, soft and delicate, with full white hairs, stout and thick, and a rich black green color.

The quality characteristics of Mang pu tea are: the raw material is the leaves of Mang pu, with a rich content, thick and viscous soup, thick flavor, full mouthfeel, fragrant and muggy aroma, containing a strong sense of mountain wildness. New tea slightly bitter, but rapid and long-lasting sweetness.

Tie: Fuzhun Pu-erh tea leaves are green and tender before being formed, with raised leaf surfaces, numerous trichomes on the reverse side of the leaves, thick and soft texture, short and stout stems. The formed tea is plump and tender, has a full white hair, and a robust, tight bundle with a distinct dry fragrance.

The aroma is floral, honey and fruit fragrance, pure fragrance type. After brewing, the aroma is rich and mellow, lingering in mouth after drinking, allowing people to experience the thrill of tea fragrance.

Flavor: After brewing Pu-erh tea with Lung Pao, the soup color is bright and luminous, crystal clear and viscous. When entering the mouth, the taste is slightly bitter but develops slowly. Some people may feel a sense of throat obstruction. Those who are sensitive to bitterness should pay attention. Fresh and thick, slightly sweet aftertaste that lasts for a long time. A sweet and cool sensation remains on the tongue when the tea soup flows across it.

Of course, the cost performance of busy Lung Pu-erh tea is still very high, and friends who like it can try it.

This year old tea is at 600800 yuan per kilogram.

Generally speaking, the astringency of Lin Cang tea is slightly heavier, and the bitterness is slightly lighter. In terms of price, except for Iceland tea, old tree tea, and Da Ye tea, other ancient tea prices are still relatively affordable. Of course, when tea friends see people selling Iceland tea, they will ask about the price first. If it's too cheap, don't pay the tax on being smart. When drinking Pu-erh tea, it's best to set a benchmark for yourself and start with big tree tea and ancient tree tea. This way, it's easier to avoid drinking small tree tea or Tai tea during the trial process later on.