Yunnan green tea
Green tea from Yunnan’s large-leaf assamica stock, the same material that otherwise becomes pu-erh or Dian Hong. The large leaf gives a much thicker, more bitter green tea than small-leaf Chinese stock, and it is rarely exported.
Character
Much heavier and more bitter than eastern Chinese greens, with the hui gan returning sweetness that Yunnan material is known for.
- Flavour
- Vegetal, Smoky, Earthy
- Aroma
- Toasted
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Astringent, Bitter
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- bitter greens, smoke, dried fruit
- Aftertaste
- Bitter first, then a strong returning sweetness.
Bold intensity: full-bodied, astringent or bitter enough to lead the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Lincang
- Cultivar
- Yunkang 10
- Oxidation
- Unoxidised
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
3–4 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 4 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
Common mistakes
- Brewing it like Longjing — the large leaf needs cooler water and shorter steeps or it becomes genuinely harsh.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Shan Tuyet
Two large-leaf greens from adjacent highlands, both bitter up front with a strong returning sweetness.
- Vietnamese green tea
Two large-leaf highland greens from adjacent regions, both bitter up front with a strong returning sweetness.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Bulang sheng pu-erh
Shares 5 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: vegetal, smoky, bitter, astringent and full bodied.
- Kang Zhuan
Shares 5 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: smoky, earthy, astringent, full bodied and toasted.
- Anhua dark tea
Shares 4 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: smoky, earthy, full bodied and toasted.
- Lao Ban Zhang sheng pu-erh
Shares 4 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: vegetal, smoky, full bodied and bitter.
- Qing Zhuan
Shares 4 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: smoky, earthy, full bodied and toasted.
- Samovar blend
Shares 4 descriptors with Yunnan green tea: smoky, full bodied, astringent and toasted.