Yunlong Green Tea

Yunlong Tea is a specialty from Yunlong County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and is recognized as a national geographical indication for agricultural products. The cultivation of Yunlong tea has a long history. According to the Yunlong County Chronicle, “In the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), County Magistrate Duan Tao purchased 100 pounds of tea seeds from Shunning (now Fengqing) and distributed them to industrialists and the industrialists in the three districts for experimentation.”

Tea Characteristics

  • Appearance:
    • Spiral Shape Tea: Tightly rolled, shiny, smooth, and uniform with a greenish sheen.
    • Strip Shape Tea: Compact, uniform, gray-green, and frosted.
  • Tea Liquor and Leaf Base:
    • Color: Yellow-green and bright.
    • Aroma: Rich and high.
    • Taste: Concentrated, fresh, and sweet.
    • Leaf Base: Complete.

Geographic and Climatic Conditions

  • Location: Dali Tree Mountain, Baofeng Township, Yunlong County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
  • Altitude: Ranges from 2200 to 2500 meters.
  • Climate:
    • Annual Average Temperature: Above 4.9°C.
    • Extreme Minimum Temperature: Above -6°C.
    • Accumulated Temperature Above 10°C: Above 3500°C.
    • Annual Rainfall: Exceeds 1000 millimeters.
    • Average Relative Humidity: 75%.
  • Soil Conditions:
    • Type: Yellow-brown.
    • Characteristics: Deep, moist, well-drained, loose, and rich in organic matter.

Tea Processing and Harvesting

  • Harvest Time: Just after the Qingming Festival.
  • Picking Standard: One bud two leaves or one bud three leaves.
  • Requirements:
    • Uniform size and appropriate proportion.
    • Avoid picking fish leaves, rain leaves, paired leaves, diseased or insect-damaged buds, frost-damaged buds, flower buds, and single buds.

Production and Supervision

Yunlong green tea is produced by Yunlong Dali Tree Tea Factory, under the supervision of the Tea Science Department of Yunnan Agricultural University. The tea is a stir-fried green tea with specific processing techniques.

Quality and Taste

  • Tea Leaves: Fresh leaves are from the Dali Tree Mountain tea garden, a large-leaf variety with robust buds and soft, tender leaf quality.
  • Tea Quality: The combination of high-quality fresh leaves and stir-frying processing results in tight, sturdy, smooth, and frosted dry tea leaves. The tea liquor is pale green, clear, and bright, with a rich, fresh, and sweet taste, and a high, lasting roasted chestnut aroma.

Product Characteristics

External Sensory Features

  • Tea Liquor and Leaf Base: The tea liquor is yellow-green and bright, with tender, uniform, and complete buds and leaves.
    • Spiral Tea: Tightly rolled, firm, shiny, smooth, and greenish in color.
    • Strip Tea: Compact, uniform, gray-green, and frosted.

Internal Quality Characteristics

  • Flavor: Rich, fresh, and sweet with a strong roasted chestnut aroma, and durable for multiple infusions.
  • Chemical Composition:
    • Tea Polyphenols: ≥25.0%
    • Caffeine: ≥2.0%
    • Water Extract: ≥44.0%
    • Free Amino Acids: ≥4.0%
    • Theanine: ≥1.9%

Origin Environment

Soil and Topography

  • Altitude: The tea cultivation area ranges from 730 meters to 3663 meters above sea level. Optimal growing altitude is between 1800 to 2600 meters.
  • Soil Type: Mainly yellow-brown soil with a pH between 4.5 and 6.0. The south-facing slopes of the Lancang River valley have high organic matter content, loose, well-drained, and aerated soil.

Hydrology

  • Rivers: The main rivers in the cultivation area are the Nujiang, Lancangjiang, Bijiang, Guanpinghe, Kongjianghe, Jianchahe, and Zaotanghe, belonging to the Nujiang and Lancangjiang river systems.
  • Lakes: Tianchi Lake.
  • Water Resources: Abundant and of excellent quality, suitable for growing Yunlong tea.

Climate

  • Climate Type: Continental subtropical plateau monsoon climate with distinct seasonal variations.
  • Rainfall: Annual average of 780.3 mm, with most rain concentrated from June to September. Early summer and winter-spring periods are often dry.
  • Temperature:
    • Annual Maximum: 35.6°C
    • Annual Minimum: -4.2°C
    • Annual Average: 16.2°C
    • Frost-Free Period: 258 days
    • Annual Sunshine: 2077.3 hours

Historical Background

  • Historical Records: Tea cultivation in Yunlong County has a long history. According to the Yunlong County Chronicle, “In the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), County Magistrate Duan Tao purchased 100 pounds of tea seeds from Shunning (now Fengqing) and distributed them for testing. The experimental field in the county (now Baofeng) did not sprout for a long time, but in the old state and Tangjian areas, 200 to 300 trees were planted and showed potential for development.”
  • Development: In 1987, Yunlong County began large-scale tea cultivation in Baofeng, Old State, and other areas. By leveraging the suitable climate, standardized management, and careful processing, Yunlong green tea and Tianchi Bi Green tea emerged as high-quality products, creating two renowned brands of Yunlong green tea.

Production Information

  • Area and Yield: By 2015, the cultivation area of Yunlong tea was 4000 hectares, extending 109 kilometers north-south and 91.8 kilometers east-west, with an annual production of 3000 tons.

Product Honors

  • Geographical Indication: On March 31, 2016, the former Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China approved the implementation of national agricultural product geographical indication registration protection for “Yunlong Tea.”

Geographical Protection Scope

  • Protected Areas: Yunlong County’s administrative towns and townships, including Nuodeng, Gongguoqiao, Caojian, Baishi, Baofeng, Miaowei, Jiancha, Changxin, Guanping, Tuanjie, and Minjian. The geographical coordinates are 98°52′E to 99°46′E longitude and 25°28′N to 26°23′N latitude.