Talking About Tea on Paper #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 know Dehong tea. To be honest, as soon as I saw Dehong tea, I fell in love with it.

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 jianghu.

Ban Zhang is king, Yi Wu is 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 a novice not worth mentioning, and they 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. This 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 calmly, 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, with 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 greatly with Yi Wu in Xishuangbanna at 1400 meters and Bulang Mountain at 1600 meters. Lower temperatures lead to 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 has a sword at his waist, a bright red turban on his head, and is neatly dressed, 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, so he can only practice a few moves. Xishuangbanna immediately starts dancing, and in the blink of an eye, unleashes dozens of moves. Soon, sword light fills the air, and only the sword shadow is seen, not the person. Dehong keeps dodging, with his wooden sword hanging down, looking embarrassed, but he successfully avoids the attacks. Xishuangbanna's sword presses Dehong, but Dehong only dodges. When he can no longer avoid, Dehong rolls on the ground to escape, 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 practice a hundred moves with you." 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 jianghu.

Bai Xiaosheng's jianghu 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 personality that is open and unrestrained, reserved yet not showy; then Dehong's ancient tree tea is a northern man, sturdy and tall, looking like a mere warrior, but in fact refined and elegant, not inferior in poetry and prose, and also skilled in martial arts. His personality is straightforward and very hearty.

Xishuangbanna tea is like a jianghu hero, famous in the jianghu 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. He never runs out of wine in his cup, and never runs out of enemies to kill. He is a true hero. Dehong tea is like a great hermit living in the deep mountains. He is not old but has peerless martial arts. He lives on a small piece of land, self-sufficient. Although he is unknown in the jianghu, 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 exceeding 5 meters, and grow sparsely in the vast primeval forest. 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 relatively low. Every spring, tea leaves cover the mountains, and pickers are free to pick. When the tea season ends, people find other ways to make a living. If you want to buy some stock, there is no way. Most of these tea leaves are 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 in Dehong can only purchase 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, right?

Dehong large tea tree

When the villagers of Lao Ban Zhang worry about their savings getting moldy and sun-drying their money, the tea farmers in Dehong are considering whether to cut down the tea trees and plant tsaoko. The two tea-producing areas have similar customs and habits, with only a 3-degree difference in latitude, but the farmers' incomes are vastly different.

In the jianghu of tea, before this, Dehong was indeed unknown, but in terms of strength, it is definitely a hermit with extraordinary abilities. Although not famous in the jianghu, it walks among the great 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 Houyue Crowdfunding Tea.