TEA - Tea master - Zhang Ma (Yiwu)

Lao Ban Zhang 老班章 - history and present

Laobanzhang Ancient Tea Mountains is located under the administration of Banzhang Village in Bulangshan County 布朗山乡 about 70 km from Menghai County City. It is a place full of history and cultural heritage rich in quality Pu-erh tea known as the "King of Pu-erh Tea". The word "Banzhang" comes from the Dai language: "Ba Zha" which means "fish." The Chinese transliteration is “Banzhang.” In the late 1990s, Pu-erh tea was still a hard-selling tea in Yunnan, and Laobanzhang was hidden in the deep mountains and ancient forests of Menghai County. Tea from Laobanzhang was completely unknown to the world.

Chinese cultivar Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰

There are many tea cultivars for processing Oolong tea in southern Fujian, such as Tie Guan Yin, Jin Guan Yin, Huang Dan, Mao Xie, Ben Shan and many others. One of the famous tea cultivars from this area is Bai Ya Qi Lan 白芽奇兰, which is widely planted in the tea gardens of the Daqinshan area of Pinghe County. It is one of the four famous teas of Fujian, the other three being Tie Guan Yin, Wuyi Rock Tea and Zhangping Shui Xian. Bai Ya Qi Lan is a tea of unique quality. Although its processing is similar to that of Tie Guan Yin, it has its own very distinctive character. Bai Ya Qi Lan is the second most successful export Oolong from southern Fujian, sitting just next to Tie Guan Yin. We can freely translate the name of this Oolong as "the scent of a rare orchid".

Collection and processing of Keemun black tea

The Qimen 祁门 area is located in the so-called "Tea Golden Belt", a strip of tea-producing locations at 30 degrees north latitude. The local natural conditions meet the rule of "four times more and one less", which means many mountains, many clouds, much fog, much rain and little direct sunlight, which defines the perfect environment for the growth of tea trees. This is where the famous Chinese black tea Keemun Black Tea (Qi Men Hong Cha 祁门红茶) comes from. It is one of the three most famous black teas in the world, along with Darjeeling black tea and Ceylon Uva black tea. Unlike the mentioned two black teas based on large-leaf cultivars that come from the tropical zone, Keemun black tea comes from the subtropical zone and its cultivar is the typical Chinese small-leaved Zhu Ye Zhong 槠叶种.

Black Keemun is a Legend Among Black Teas

Keemun Black Tea (Qi Men Hong Cha 祁门红茶) is a famous Chinese Black Tea. It is produced in the Keemun County (Qi Men Xian 祁门县) of Anhui. It is one of the Three Most Famous Black Teas in the world, with the other two Darjeeling Black Tea and Ceylon Uva Black tea. Unlike the other two big leaf cultivar black teas which come from a tropical zone, the Keemun Black Tea originates in a subtropical zone and the cultivar is typical Chinese small leaf - Zhu Ye Zhong. It features a kind of natural gentle creamy flavor which made this tea famous. Its taste is very mild and sweet. The extraordinary terroir of Keemun District creates unique conditions for growing tea of unprecedented quality.

Fu Zhuan Cha 茯磚茶 - Tea Brick from Hunan

Dark tea has a long history in China, with different types produced in several provinces. The most important types include dark tea from Hunan, and its most distinctive variant is Fuzhuan Cha. The origin of Fuzhuan Cha dark tea is closely related to the nomadic peoples of northern and western China, such as the Mongols, Tibetans and Uighurs. Their diet, rich in meat, milk and bread, lacks fiber and vitamins, making tea essential for digestion and nutritional balance. They consider tea indispensable, even more so than food for a short time.

Post-fermented Teas Hei Cha 黑茶

Dark tea (Hei Cha 黑茶) is post-fermented tea, which means that after the tea leaves are oxidized after harvesting, they undergo accelerated controlled fermentation. For accelerated fermentation, the wet layering process ((Wo Dui 渥堆) is most often used, when biochemical reactions occur under the influence of microorganisms. In oxidation, biochemical reactions occur when interacting with atmospheric oxygen and typically last for several hours. The fermentation process can take several hours to several months, but can then continue without limitation for decades.

Gua Feng Zhai village in Yiwu 易武刮风寨

Yiwu 易武 is one of the Six Tea Mountains (Liu Da Cha Shan 六大茶山), famous for pu-erh tea in Yunnan. It iis located n Mengla County 勐腊县 of Xishuangbanna. It is one of the few Chinese tea places located in tropical zone. There are quite a few villages in Yiwu producing pu-erh tea. Among others they are Ma Hei, Luo Shui Dong, Ding Jia Zhai, Wan Gong, Man Xiu, Tong Qing He and Gua Feng Zhai. People of Yao race are the main residents of the Gua Feng Zhai village. The population is around 750 people. It got famous for its tea with complex strong wild tea flavour, fast transformation of taste and deep sweet aftertaste.

Green tea Melon Seeds - Liu An Gua Pian 六安瓜片 - History and Processing

Lu An Gua Pian 六安瓜片 green tea originates from Anhui Province of China. It is featured in almost all lists of ‘China’s Famous Teas’ and is mentioned extensively throughout Chinese tea history. Several times pan-fried leaf of this famous green tea has a distinct shape, producing a vegetal liquor with a sweet aftertaste. This tea is special in its appearance. It looks a bit like watermelon seed so it was named after it.

Wild tea harvest for Tan Bei Huo Shan Huang Ya 霍山黃芽

Autumn begins in China. It's time to harvest wild tea trees in Dabieshan 大別山 in western Anhui. Here is the original production site of the famous yellow tea Huo Shan Huang Ya 霍山黃芽.

Xiao Chi Gan 小赤甘 (Lapsang Souchong)

When you ask about Lapsang Souchong at a Chinese tea market, the sellers will most likely show you a black tea that is not smoked, different from the orthodox Lapsang Souchong tea, which smells strongly of pinewood smoke. We are talking about Xiao Chi Gan 小赤甘 tea.