Yunnan, China

The Yunnan province in China is one with a rich history closely tied to its tea production. Considered to be the birthplace of Pu Erh, Yunnan is also famous for is complex black teas. This south-westernmost region in China has ideal growing conditions for tea, which has allowed the industry to thrive there for hundreds of years.

Its location along the Lancang River maintains a warm, humid climate with heavy rainfall. Farmers have taken advantage of this landscape to grow exceptional teas, resulting in four main production areas: Baoshan, Lincang, Simao and Xishuangbanna.

Yunnan is best known for its Pu Erh tea, which originated in the Simao area. Not only is this region important for the growing of tea, but is essential for the production and distribution as well.

Some of the tea produced in Yunnan is cultivated from ancient tea trees, some hundreds of years old, grown in a tree-like environment. To pluck these leave, requires farmers to climb up into the trees themselves. This type of cultivation leads to greater biodiversity than that found in the typical plantation style farm. It is there where a tea tree called Zhen Yuan grows, and is believed to be thousands of years old.