Xishuangbanna Plantation - China
This month we visit Xishuangbanna in Southern Yunnan Province. This region is distinctly different to other provinces in China as it’s comprised of many different cultures such as Dai, Lao, Tai and Han Chinese. This region is also very biodiverse, with many different plant species and is home to the last few Asian elephants still in China.
Xishuangbanna borders Laos and Myanmar and is adjacent to Vietnam and Thailand making it a melting pot of different cultures. The region dubbed the ‘Kingdom of plants’ is a large rainforest area that harbours much of China‘s biodiversity. It is regarded as one of the birthplaces of tea!
There are 15 famous tea mountains in the area which produce a large amount of tea, but there are many more tea mountains and ancient tea gardens located across Yunnan province. In Xishuangbanna the tea plants have grown under natural forest canopies for thousands of years. Everything in this region is intertwined to ensure that the ecosystem is perfectly balanced. In the lush forest of ancient tea trees, tea from the younger trees can sell for £70 per kilo and the older trees (which can be thousands of years old) produce tea that sells for over £100 per kilo!
Our Yunnan black tea is a smooth and gentle high-grade tea made from the Camelia Assamica tree, which is more commonly found in India than China, but flourishes here due to the tropical climate. The soil is red and rich in organic materials in which the end product made is an aromatic tea with malty and smoky notes which can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
Location: Southern Yunnan
Country: China
Capital City: Beijing
Coordinates: 21°59'52.4"N 100°47'39.9"E
Elevation: 1117m
Soil type: Forest Soils
Manufacture: Small holdings
Season: August
Av temp: 21°C
Fun facts:
> Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture in China.
> Yunnan produces some of China’s highest quality black teas.
> China drinks 40% of the world’s tea.
> Xishuangbanna is famous for it’s tropical rainforest scenery.
> China has only one timezone despite its size.
> Xishuangbanna is the second biggest producing place of rubber.
YUNNAN BLACK TEA IS AVAILABLE IN OUR TEASHOP >>
