Banpen Tea Plantation in Menghai County, XishuangBanna

Chinese Name: 勐海班盆普洱茶
English Name: Banpen Tea Plantation in Menghai County, XishuangBanna
ADD:西双版纳勐海县勐混乡

Banpen Laozhai Village

Banpen Laozhai Village currently has a population of 624 people, consisting of 123 households, and is a Lahu ethnic village. The main economic crop is tea. Banpen is home to over two thousand acres of ancient tea trees and a small number of eco-tea gardens that are several decades old. The village is situated at an elevation of 1600 to 1750 meters, often enveloped in rain and mist, with abundant rainfall creating exceptional conditions for the natural growth of ancient tea trees. Banpen Laozhai Village (also known as Bangpen Laozhai, both are transliterations) is located at the junction of Menghun Township and Blangshan Township.

Banpen Pu’er Tea

The “Banpen” village in Blangshan is located in Menghun Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, at an elevation of 1760 meters, across from the Hekai Ancient Tea Garden. The elevation, climate, soil, ecological environment, and tea tree age of Banpen’s ancient tea garden are comparable to those of Laobanzhang, with only a 100-meter difference in average elevation. Banpen is a natural village under the Hekai Village Committee, located 19 kilometers from the village committee headquarters. It is connected to Banzhang to the west.

Banpen Village has a population of 624 people and 123 households, making it a Lahu ethnic village. The primary economic crop is tea. Banpen has over two thousand acres of ancient tea trees and a small number of eco-tea gardens that are several decades old. The village is situated at an elevation of 1600 to 1750 meters, often shrouded in rain and mist, with abundant rainfall providing ideal conditions for the natural growth of ancient tea trees.

Banpen Laozhai Village (also known as Bangpen Laozhai, both are transliterations) is located at the junction of Menghun Township and Blangshan Township and is a Lahu ethnic village. Administratively, Banpen Laozhai Village belongs to the Hekai Village Committee of Menghun, but it and the Hekai Ancient Tea Garden are on separate hills, facing each other at a distance. However, it is closely connected to the Laobanzhang Tea Mountain, located about 2 kilometers from Laobanzhang Village, and thus belongs to the Blangshan tea region. The ancient tea garden in Banpen is located on a hillside at an elevation of approximately 1760 meters, covering only about a hundred acres. The soil in the tea garden is yellow-brown, with a good natural ecological environment, moderate forest shading, and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used, making it purely organic tea. According to villagers, the Lahu ancestors had settled here and planted tea long before the nearby Laobanzhang Village was relocated.

Introduction to Ancient Tea Trees

The ancient tea trees in Banpen have thick trunks and host numerous parasitic plants, indicating their long history. Recently, I visited Banpen Village and spoke with the village head, Zati, about the history of the ancient tea trees. The village head said, “He doesn’t know how many years these tea trees have been here, but experts who visit the tea mountains say the trees are at least four to five hundred years old.” Due to their age, high elevation, and long sunlight exposure, Banpen’s tea has good vitality and a direct mountain character that goes straight to the throat. Tasting this tea is quite interesting; it is smooth and refreshing, soothing to the lungs. The characteristics of Banpen’s tea are quite similar to those of Laobanzhang, with slightly less thickness in the tea base, but overall quality is good.

The elevation, climate, soil, ecological environment, and tea tree age of the Banpen ancient tea garden are comparable to those of Laobanzhang, with the average elevation only about 100 meters lower. Banpen is a natural village under the Hekai Village Committee, located 19 kilometers from the village committee headquarters. Due to its proximity to Laobanzhang, some villagers from Laobanzhang and raw tea merchants also purchase raw tea from the Lahu villagers of Banpen, using it as a substitute for Laobanzhang tea.

Characteristics of Banpen Pu’er Tea

The tea soup is thick, with a pure and high aroma. It is slightly bitter, but this bitterness does not last long; after about two seconds, it turns sweet. The throat feels refreshing without any dryness, and the tongue experiences a lasting sweetness and mouth-watering sensation that can still be felt about two hours after drinking. There are no smoky or other off-flavors.

In summary, this tea has a sweet and smooth taste, a clear fragrance, an oily and robust appearance, strong tea essence, noticeable bitterness, long-lasting sweetness, and quick mouth-watering sensations. The aftertaste lingers for an extended time, and after several years of storage, the soup color becomes orange-yellow with hints of red, and the aroma becomes even stronger.