The Gap Between Famous Tea Regions and Tea Quality

In Japan and Europe, it is generally taken for granted that products bearing a regional name are genuinely produced in that region. For example, if a wine is labeled as Bordeaux, there is little doubt that it comes from Bordeaux. Likewise, if something is labeled Kobe beef, consumers naturally assume it is from Kobe.

Within this cultural framework, many Japanese consumers have become unconsciously accustomed to trusting the accuracy of product labels. For example, when a tea is labeled as Bingdao, people tend to believe that the tea they selected is authentic. However, this perception does not necessarily apply to the Chinese tea industry, particularly the Pu-erh tea market.

In the Pu-erh tea market, famous region names themselves function as brands, and large quantities of teas bearing names such as Bingdao, Xigui, and Lao Banzhang circulate throughout the market. Among these products are teas for which it is extremely difficult for consumers to verify the authenticity of the stated origin.

When I visit local factories in areas such as Yongde and Zhenkang counties in Lincang City, regions located far from Bingdao and Xigui, I regularly encounter tea cakes openly produced under the names of Bingdao and Xigui. At compression factories, large quantities of teas wrapped in packaging bearing the names of famous regions are produced, and such teas can be widely found in Kunming tea markets, airport shops, and hotel souvenir stores.

For this reason, in the Pu-erh tea market, it is extremely difficult to judge the quality or authenticity of a tea solely from the region name printed on the wrapper.

Why Famous Regions Do Not Always Mean High Quality

Hearing this, some people may think, "Then I should simply choose the genuine tea." However, in reality, tea produced in the original region is not necessarily of higher quality.

In famous tea regions, tea prices have risen dramatically, and as a result, the use of fertilizer to increase production has become very common. We are not opposed to fertilizer itself, but when seeking teas with a long aftertaste and clarity, fertilizer tends to work against those qualities. This is because when nitrogen contained in fertilizer is supplied to the tea plants, growth accelerates, which in turn affects the aftertaste and clarity of the tea.

In particular, organic fertilizers and animal manure are often perceived as natural and safe, but they also contain large amounts of nitrogen. Regardless of whether the fertilizer is chemical or organic, increasing nitrogen supply accelerates the growth of tea plants, and we believe this influences tea quality.

On the other hand, in mountainous areas of Lincang City such as Yongde and Zhenkang counties, tea prices remain relatively low, and many tea gardens cultivated without fertilizer still survive today. In addition, these areas are generally located at high altitude, creating conditions favorable for producing teas with a long aftertaste and high quality.

As a result, some teas sold under the names of famous regions are blended with leaves sourced from mountainous areas of Lincang such as Yongde and Zhenkang. In some cases, teas that are geographically far removed from the original famous regions unexpectedly display a long aftertaste and remarkable clarity. This is widely recognized among people actually involved in tea sourcing within Yunnan Province.

In other words, within the Pu-erh tea market, the fame of a region name does not necessarily correspond to the actual quality of the tea itself. Rather than relying solely on region names, it is important to consider the actual growing environment and how the tea has been cultivated and managed.