Yibang vs Yiwu
Two of the six ancient tea mountains east of the Mekong, and a reversal of fortunes. Yibang was the administrative centre of the Qing-era tribute tea trade before Yiwu eclipsed it, and it is unusual among pu-erh areas for its small-leaf material.
growing region
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Yibang | Yiwu |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf | Small-leaf material, which is rare in a category defined by large-leaf stock. | Large-leaf, as expected of the region. |
| Historical position | The administrative and tribute centre of the six mountains under the Qing. | The mountain that displaced it commercially and holds the reputation now. |
| Character | Finer and more delicate, with less of the thickness large-leaf material gives. | Gentle, sweet and honeyed, with comparatively little bitterness. |
| Elevation | 800 to 1,600 metres. | 800 to 1,400 metres. |
| Current production | Small, and it trades on the historical name. | Large by ancient-mountain standards, and heavily imitated. |
| Ageing expectation | Less established, partly because the material is atypical. | Well documented over decades. |
The short answer
Yibang is the useful corrective to the idea that pu-erh means large-leaf assamica and nothing else, and its history is a reminder that the current hierarchy of Yunnan mountains is a few decades old rather than ancient. Yiwu is the safer purchase and Yibang is the more interesting one.
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