In Search of Wild Tea: Exploring Mountain Villages in Southwest Lincang, Yunnan

We are currently sourcing tea in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province. One of the crucial products for us is wild tea. While tea processing is important, securing the raw materials poses the biggest challenge. Recently, we received information about a new location where wild tea supposedly grows. To verify this, we visited the site in person to survey the actual growing conditions of the wild tea trees.

Visiting a mountain village at an altitude of 2200 meters.

The village we visited this time is located in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Situated at an altitude of 2200 meters, this village is at an elevation that wild tea prefers, so we had high expectations. In Yunnan Province, wild tea is commonly the mountain tea known as Camellia taliensis, a closely related species to the more familiar Camellia sinensis. This tea has a preference for sub-alpine zones and is typically found in areas with elevations ranging from 2200m to 2400m.

Cultivated Wild Tea

Upon arriving at the village, we met with the local villagers and proceeded to hike uphill for about an hour. There, we found a garden of Camellia taliensis. According to the villagers, these tea trees were unearthed from the mountains by themselves or their ancestors and planted on their own land. Being isolated from other common agricultural plants such as vegetables and walnuts, there is absolutely no concern about pesticide or herbicide drift. However, from our perspective, we might question, "But isn't that tea not truly wild?" Yet, in reality, people in Yunnan Province do not often differentiate between truly wild tea and tea transplanted from the wild. In Japan, for instance, there are cases where cultivated wild vegetable sprouts are sold as mountain vegetables, so it is somewhat akin to that situation. If the tea trees are dug up from the mountains and replanted closer to villages, that is still acceptable, but in recent years, Camellia taliensis has been planted widely and all of it is referred to as wild tea. Even if you say Camellia taliensis to the people of Yunnan Province, most of them will not understand. For them, mountain-origin tea equals wild tea. In reality, whether the tea is truly wild or artificially cultivated wild species is not the determining factor, as Camellia taliensis tea is circulated in the market as wild tea. From my experience, the majority of wild tea sold in the market refers either to naturally unmanaged tea gardens or to artificially cultivated wild species of Camellia taliensis. Camellia taliensis saplings planted in fields.

The value of wild tea comes from its natural ecosystem.

While exploring the Camellia taliensis tea gardens, I encountered grazing cows. Strangely, the cows showed no interest in the tea leaves and instead grazed on the undergrowth. In a way, it was beneficial for the tea farmers. However, cow dung was scattered throughout the tea gardens, indicating unintentional but regular fertilization. Even if wild tea trees are unearthed from the mountains, once cultivated near human settlements, they begin to be influenced by livestock and other factors. As a result, the taste generally becomes lighter compared to mountain-grown tea and lacks the long lingering aftertaste characteristic of true wild tea. In the search for wild tea, such results are quite common. However, by persisting and continuing to explore, one may encounter unexpectedly excellent wild teas. At our store, we are strongly committed to sourcing truly wild tea in the strict sense of the word.