Taste of Puerh 1: Ultimate Guide to Yiwu Terroir

There are 5 major regions in Yunnan that produce Puerh material, each with a general flavor character:

•           Menghai (including Bulang, Mengsong, Nannuo mountains etc.)
•            Yiwu (including the neighbouring “6 Ancient Tea Mountains” region)
•            Pu’Er / Simao (including Mojiang, Jingmai etc.)
•            Lincang
•            Baoshan and other northern regions

For newcomers to sheng Puerh or those looking to delve deeper into single-origin tea, we recommend starting with Yiwu and the surrounding mountains. Yiwu tea tends to be honey sweet, softer with low bitterness and astringency, and a complex fruity, floral profile.

Those who prefer a more robust profile may look to the Menghai area. These teas tend to be more intense in terms of aroma and flavor. Note that even so, they should not be overly bitter/astringent if material selection and processing is good.

The Simao region also produces some fascinating teas, particularly in the Mojiang area where the ancient Imperial Tribute tea gardens are located.

Lincang is a massive region with a wide range of profiles; mostly with cane sugar and florals which makes tea from this region approachable for newcomers, but note a tendency to become astringent when brewed stronger.