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Origin Profile: Yunnan

Profile of Yunnan Province

LOCATION

Yunnan Province is located in Southwest China and encompasses 152,000 square miles and about 48 million inhabitants. It is a diverse province in terms of flora and ethnic minorities. Yunnan's mountainous geography and subtropical highland or humid subtropical climate zones are conducive to tea growing.

TEAS PRODUCED

Yunnan Province is known for producing several classic, and well-known teas:

  • Dian hong, or Yunnan black teas, including characteristic flavors like those found in our OCB004 Yunnan Black OP
  • Golden Monkey black tea, so named for its mix of golden colored leaves
  • Pu'er dark teas, many of which are celebrated for their distinctive villages and ancient tree origins

View our Yunnan teas in our Product Catalog and our Smallholder Selection.

PRODUCTION

Of the 2.8 million metric tons (MMT) of tea China produced, Yunnan province contributed 0.4 MMT. This number is up 9% over 2015 production (0.366 MMT) and represents a 1.8% CAGR over the 5 year period. More established and recognized tea producing provinces like Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang actually report some of the lowest year-over-year gains in production in comparison with Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan provinces that each increased production by over 20% over the same period.

In 2019, Yunnan Province contributed 14.3% of China's total tea production. This total represents a combination of black, green, and pu'er (dark) teas.

Overall, China has increased its planting area significantly over the past 10 years. The number of hectares planted in 2019 reveal a 56% increase over 2010 numbers. Yunnan's planting area, however, increased by 26%, significantly lower than other provinces (like Guizhou Province's 178% increase).

For more information on teas from Yunnan Province, please contact:

Firsd Tea North America

info@firsdtea.com

201.528.7916

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