"Tea Talk on Paper" No. 25: Dehong Ancient Tea Jianghu Quotes

I am also an "old-timer" in the tea industry. Before 2018, my focus was on Xishuangbanna, but now I have just come to appreciate Dehong tea. To be honest, I fell in love with Dehong tea at first sight.

Dehong large tea tree

A true hero is one who serves the country and the people. This is the best interpretation of a great hero in the martial arts world.

Ban Zhang as king, Yi Wu as queen. This is the most domineering slogan in the tea industry.

Ban Zhang and Yi Wu are both in Xishuangbanna. Ban Zhang is in Menghai, with Lao Ban Zhang being the most famous. Yi Wu is in Mengla, with countless famous mountains and villages. If a tea person does not know Lao Ban Zhang and Yi Wu, it is like a scholar not knowing Confucius, or a carpenter not knowing Lu Ban. They must be an uninitiated novice and will be laughed at.

The most famous tea in Dehong might be Guanzhai tea, but if you ask a hundred tea makers, it would be very good if one knows it, let alone tea drinkers. However, this does not mean that Dehong tea is of poor quality; it means its market influence is limited, which is related to various factors such as history and market. I do not know why Dehong tea has fallen to such a state. I only know that fame is not directly related to tea quality. The trees stand there, growing leisurely, and become more fragrant over time.

Dehong large tea tree

Xishuangbanna is located near latitude 21°N, while Dehong is around 24°N. In comparison, Dehong is further north and has lower temperatures, but it seems to prove that it is not afraid of cold, as Dehong's ancient tea trees mostly grow at altitudes above 1800 meters, even above 2000 meters. This contrasts sharply with Yi Wu in Xishuangbanna at 1400 meters and Bulang Mountain at 1600 meters. Lower temperatures mean longer growth cycles, which may be the main reason why Dehong's wild ancient tree tea tastes sweet and fresh without bitterness.

So, which is better, Xishuangbanna tea or Dehong tea?

An eighteen-year-old young martial artist, Xishuangbanna, and a twenty-eight-year-old martial artist, Dehong, meet on a stone bridge. Xishuangbanna wears a precious sword at his waist and a bright red headband, looking neat and sharp, clearly a young hero. Dehong, in long clothes and cloth shoes, with a wooden sword on his back, looks like a down-and-out scholar. When they meet on a narrow path, Xishuangbanna insists on a duel with Dehong, saying he wants to meet all heroes under heaven. Dehong declines for a long time but finally agrees, saying his farming skills are not presentable, and he can only spar a few moves. Xishuangbanna immediately dances, and in the blink of an eye, unleashes dozens of moves. Soon, sword light fills the air, and only the shadow of the sword is seen, not the person. Dehong keeps dodging, his wooden sword hanging down, looking embarrassed, but he manages to avoid the attacks. Xishuangbanna's precious sword presses Dehong, but Dehong only avoids, and when he can no longer dodge, he rolls on the ground, his long clothes covered in mud, causing Xishuangbanna to laugh several times.

The crowd grows larger, Xishuangbanna's sword shadow becomes faster, and Dehong's breathing becomes more rapid. Xishuangbanna leaps into the air, body parallel to the ground, sword thrusting straight at Dehong. Dehong sidesteps out of the circle and says in a low voice, "Thank you for your mercy, young hero. I was lucky to spar a hundred moves." With that, the fight ends, and he refuses to continue. Xishuangbanna, thinking he has won, laughs three times and leaves triumphantly. Thus, the legend of Xishuangbanna spreads in the martial arts world.

Bai Xiaosheng's ranking: Xishuangbanna first, Dehong sixth, and everyone agrees.

But in my view, if Xishuangbanna's ancient tree tea is a scholar, of moderate build, full of vitality, talented and profound, with a bold and unrestrained yet restrained personality; then Dehong's ancient tree tea is a northern man, sturdy and tall, looking like a mere warrior, but in fact gentle and refined, not inferior in poetry and prose, and also skilled in martial arts, with a straightforward and hearty personality.

Xishuangbanna tea is like a martial arts hero, famous in the martial arts world for a long time, with high martial arts skills and few rivals. Every day is a life of fine clothes and fast horses, surrounded by friends, beautiful women, and fine wine, living a life of chivalrous revenge. It is a true hero with endless wine and enemies to kill. Dehong tea, on the other hand, is a great hermit living in seclusion in the deep mountains. Not old in age but with extraordinary martial arts, living on a small piece of land, self-sufficient. Although unknown in the martial arts world, his heart is as calm as water. Sadly, the world knows the heroes but does not know that heroes often seek advice from hermits.

This is not an exaggeration.

Dehong large tea tree

Dehong wild ancient tea trees, many with trunk circumferences over one meter, are tall, mostly over 5 meters, sparsely growing in vast primeval forests. In many nature reserves, tea trees are everywhere but relatively scattered. In many tea-producing areas, there is not even one tea tree per mu on average. Therefore, the added value of Dehong tea is currently still low. Every spring, tea leaves cover the mountains, and pickers are free to pick. When the tea season ends, people seek other livelihoods, and there is no way to buy any stock. Most of these tea leaves are then transferred to famous Pu'er tea regions such as Xishuangbanna and Lincang. I have specifically consulted many local tea enterprises in Dehong. According to existing data, Dehong's wild tea annual output is nearly 500 tons, but local tea enterprises can only acquire and process a mere few dozen tons. It can be seen that most wild tea may have been transformed into famous teas from various famous mountains and villages.

Dehong large tea tree

When the villagers of Lao Ban Zhang worry about their savings getting moldy while drying money, Dehong tea farmers are considering whether to cut down tea trees and plant cardamom. The two tea-producing areas have similar customs and are only 3 degrees apart in latitude, yet the farmers' incomes are vastly different.

In the tea world, Dehong was indeed unknown before, but in terms of strength, it is definitely a hermit with extraordinary abilities. Although not famous in the martial arts world, it walks among the heroes. This is the Jianghu quote of Dehong tea.

This article and images are original. Reproduction must not delete this statement. The article and images are original. Author: Lü Jianfeng, WeChat: 673998, working at 51 Pu'er Net, initiator of the Houyue crowdfunding tea.