Ⅰ.High Quality Raw Materials

The raw material of fresh Pu’er tea-Yunnan Big-leaf variety comes from the major tea mountains along the Lancang River, where there are both primitive wild tea trees and artificially planted tea trees.The big-leaf variety of Yunnan grows in beautiful mountains of misty, warm and humid climate.They are sparsely populated, and far away from urban pollution.The favorable growth conditions are also reflected in three aspects: soil, climate and light.The main producing areas of Pu’er tea are mainly distributed in Pu’er City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture and Lincang City, which are located in the south of 25°N.These areas have south subtropical humid climate and north tropical climate, with abundant sunshine, average annual temperature at 17- 22°C and average annual rainfall of 1,200-1,800 mm.Alpine rivers are widely distributed in the territory, and laterite and latosolic red soil are dominant, with high organic matter content, which creates unique natural conditions for tea production.

The fresh leaves of Yunnan big-leaf tea tree are the raw materials for making Pu’er tea.Yunnan big-leaf variety is characterized by thick leaf, large bud, large stem diameter, long internodes distance, early germination, many white hairs, strong bud-rearing ability, long growth period, good tenderness, rich contents, high yield, excellent quality and wide adaptability.The contents of water extracts, polyphenols and catechins in fresh leaves are all higher than those of other excellent tea varieties in China.Generally, its water extracts are about 45%, its tea polyphenols are over 30%, its catechins are 150-170 mg per gram, and its caffeine is 3.50%-4.00%.The big-leaf tea variety of Yunnan plays an important role in forming the unique quality of Pu’er tea, and is well-known at home and abroad for its excellent variety characteristics.