Nannuo Mountain (南糯山)

[Koveee]

Nannuo Mountain(南糯山).

Nannuo is the one of early opened tea mountains in Menghai. Today Nannuo have authority of famous location on the same place with Naka, Ban Zhang and other locations. Nannuo Mountain is not only one village, Nannuo is mountain chain that contain settlements on different levels and with different flavor features.

According to words of Le Yang( secretary of Nannuo Shan party committee) Tea from Nannuo can be split on two groups: Group of Bama village and Group of Banpo village by different flavor features.

Group of Bama have more smooth and sweet flavor of tea then other Nannuo teas. To "Bama group" belong Shitou Lao village (石头老寨), Shitou Xin village (石头新寨), Do I vilage(多依寨) and Bama village(拔玛寨) too.


1) Do I(多依) - Village on the top of Nannuo, at about 1700 meters above sea level. Weather is very cloudy and foggy, especially on morning. However, at midday sun hit air and earth. Its superb weaver difference for tea trees. Danger on a mountain road and unknown authority scare tourists and companies managers(hehe), because of it Indigenous villagers don't see anyone foreign in village about 2-3 years. Cause large height some tea trees fall into sleep, but those trees that awake at spring have special quality and good health. In Do I grow seldom types of tea tree: Big Leaf type(大叶), Small Leaf type(小叶) and Wild tea trees too(野生). Tea gardens grow at about 1650-1800 meters above sea level.
Quality of tea from Nannuo is always different on market. But you also can find real Nannuo tea by special features: Nannuo tea doesn't have BulangShan feature bitter and have also MengSong fragrance.
Characteristic of tea flavor from Nannuo such as light and sweet. Flavor is dense, honey and orchidaceous. On a swallow tea light, not bitter. Color of tea soup is greeny-white. Soft brewed soup is sweet and complex, hard brewed tea from nannuo show strong tea flavor(茶味).

In plenty of texts about Nannuo you can find some information about "Nannuo Camellia". According to Chinese sources, features of Nannuo Camellia are honey fragrance and other special features that reckon in features of Nannuo camelia from Bama.

2) Bama (拔玛) - Bama village have interesting story about name of settlement and that tea. On territory of Bama village flow small river and on the coast of this river growed tea tree with big leafs. In Hani language ba means leaf and ma means big. And it also rarely thing that river, village and tea, respectively, names by Hani language not by Dai language.
Also Bama village its not one village in the middle of the forest. In surroundings, near to Bama village place Shitou Lao village, Shitou Xin village, Do I village and other villages too. However, because of different heights and climates, Tea have wide range of prices and quality’s.
Bama village place at 1600 meters above sea level. Trees from Bama consider like the most typically example of Nannuo Camelia type. Tea's tree in Bama have long leafs, tight bush bugs and really smooth and soft back of leafs. Also leafs on branch have longer distance between other leafs. It is similar to Yi Wu national forest trees.
Flavor of tea's from Bama is really sweet and soft, not bitter, a little astringent, but viscosity melt rapidly. Fragrance is fruit, honey and really charming. Effect of tea's from Bama is soft and smooth, also, like in Yi Wu tea. Bama's Tea is very strong to brewing.
In 2022 old trees raw material from Bama cost 2500-3500 yuan for one kilo.

3) Shitou Lao village ( 石头老寨 ) - This village place at about 1400 meters above sea level. Village have about 100 hectares old tea forest. Average age of trees is 100-200 years. (However, you also need to check information about tea that you buy in internet with description “ Old trees, Big trees 100-200 years and over) and always check stores and prices on tea.). Tea trees in Shitou forest not tall, by the way, stem is broad and tree’s crown very wide. Flavor of tea’s from Shitou is often strong, harder then in tea from Bama, for example, huigan fast and sweet.
In 2022 old trees raw material from Shitou Lao village cost 1800-2800 yuan for one kilo.

4) Shitou Xin village (石头新寨) - New village place near to old Shitou village and have similar features to Shitou Lao village. Some experts don’t split Shitou villages and just named them Shitou village (石头寨).


Group of Banpo village have more tight and robust flavor then other teas. To "banpo froup" belong Banpo Lao village (半坡老寨), Banpo Xin village(半坡新寨), Ya Koy Lao village(丫口老寨) Ya Koy Xin village(丫口新寨).

1) Banpo Lao village (半坡老寨) - One of the most famous Nannuo villages, Bampo village place at about 1400 meters above sea level with annual rainfall in 1450 mm and average temperature in 19°C. Not only great authority is best part of Banpo. Banpo village have the biggest tea garden in all Nannuo zone, it’s about 245 hectares of old tea trees. In general, its non-cultivated tea forest, level of forest cover is about 80 percent. Its a great value and really interesting that Nannuo one of the zones that exist on the “North Tropic”.
The North Tropis is conditional line that cross whole world on 23°26′16″ north of the equator. North Tropic is line that shows the northest
latitude where’s sun at midday can rise up in zenith. And also zones at the North Tropic have the most radical climate change in the whole word. For example, when spring change winter on one side of mountain you can enjoy warm spring, while on the other side in all strength can rampage winter.
Radical climate change as daily change as seasonal can help tea trees hoard helpful minerals, healthy materials and so on. It’s one cause of high-mountain tea is better then tea from flat.
In Banpo village lived Grand tea tree its been about 800 years, but in about 1990’s its died.
Flavor of tea’s from Banpo is rich and a little bit bitterer then other nannuo tea’s. It’s also have special Nannuo honey fragrance and careful balanced flavor. Price’s on Banpo tea from old trees starts from 2000 yuan for kilo.

2) Ya Koy Lao village(丫口老寨) – The village that near to top of Nannuo mountain. Tea garden place very far of settlement and place in forest. You need about one hour to get thru way from village to tea garden. Raw material is superb quality: leafs and buds are thick and bush. Flavor of tea from Ya Koy village is similar to “Nannuo taste”: Tea soup is golden and clear, flavor is soft and rich, a little bitter, smooth and flexible, sweet is wide and strength. Fragrance is also honey and rich.
In 2022 prices on Ya Koy village tea from old trees starts from 1200 to 1800 yuan for kilo.
3) Ya Koy Xin village (丫口新寨) – New village place very near to old settlement and have similar flavor features. Price’s on tea from new village a little bit less when from old villages.

And a little bit more information about other Nannuo villages that, of course, have special features and superb tea.


Guniang( 姑娘) – this village the first village in Nannuo, that was colonized by Hani tribe that displace people of Bulang tribe. Tea leafs are fleshy buds are flashy and tall too. Flavor of Guniang tea ia a little bitterly then flavor of tea from other Nannuo settlements. Honey fragrance in tea from Guniang is being too, like feature of Nannuo teas. In 2022 prices on Guniang village tea from old trees starts from 1500 to 1800 yuan for kilo.

Zhulin (竹林) - The village that have wide tea plantations: about 190 hectares of usual tea and 80 hectares of old tea trees. Annual amount of rainfall is 1500-1700 mm and average temperature is 16-18°C. This characteristic is superb for well-quality tea. Flavor is also have Nannuo features, but according to reviews tea from Zhulin very bitter at start, but sweet with fragrance cover middle and tip of tongue. Tea soup is smooth and a little astringent. Fresh tea from Zhulin, in general, shen puer have strong irritation flavor and keen young shen flavor. Also Zhulin tea have strong tea fragrance and wide huigan.

[mrmopu]

Excellent post and thank you for all the info and writing on it.

[polezaivsani]

Gracias, @Koveee, for the article! I've been basking in couple teas from Banpo village this summer but had no success pinpointing the place on the maps. The ones that I had where truly delicious, sweet in a humble way, honey and flowers here and there. Though I cherished them more for the deep, beautiful, and mesmerizing stage play unfolding with every sip. Some mischievous effects too.

[Koveee]

Gracias, Koveee, for the article! I've been basking in couple teas from Banpo village this summer but had no success pinpointing the place on the maps. The ones that I had where truly delicious, sweet in a humble way, honey and flowers here and there. Though I cherished them more for the deep, beautiful, and mesmerizing stage play unfolding with every sip. Some mischievous effects too.

You need to be careful because of in Yunnan exist 3 banpo villages( maybe more, but tea Banpo only three). On in hónghé(红河), one in Puer(普洱) and really interesting Banpo village with Old trees in Nannuo.

[polezaivsani]

You need to be careful because of in Yunnan exist 3 banpo villages( maybe more, but tea Banpo only three). On in hónghé(红河), one in Puer(普洱) and really interesting Banpo village with Old trees in Nannuo.

Heh, double checked and it was this Nannuo shan ones that I had in mind. Those multiple hits for Banpo search on the map are confusing indeed. Admittedly geolocating names within Yunnan has never been easy for me.

[aet]

2) Ya Koy Lao village(丫口老寨) ...little correction ,if I may. - Ya Kou Lao Zhai

I didn't have a time to read all trough, just this I've noticed when skimming trough the text.
Thanks for your contribution to common knowledge, good job!

[Koveee]

2) Ya Koy Lao village(丫口老寨) ...little correction ,if I may. - Ya Kou Lao Zhai

I didn't have a time to read all trough, just this I've noticed when skimming trough the text.
Thanks for your contribution to common knowledge, good job!

Oh, i forgot about transcription, thank you for you addition !

[pedant]

great post. thank you.