Mengku Town is located in Shuangjiang County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, in the northern part of Shuangjiang Autonomous County. It has been a renowned tea-producing region since ancient times, known for the exceptional quality of its Mengku Pu-erh tea. Famous producing areas for Mengku Pu-erh include Daxueshan (Big Snow Mountain) and Bingdao, which are home to many wild tea trees. A well-known tea manufacturer in Mengku is Mengku Rongshi, and the Pu-erh tea produced by their Mengku Rongshi Arbor King is a prized masterpiece in the tea world.
Mengku Town covers an area of 475 square kilometers, featuring steep mountains and interlocking river valleys. Its highest elevation reaches 3,233 meters, with the lowest at 1,040 meters. Thanks to its unique environment, it nurtures the Mengku large-leaf tea varietal, making it a premium Pu-erh tea region since ancient times. Because of this, tea trees can be found everywhere from rural villages to deep mountain recesses. Among them grow numerous wild ancient tea trees, providing the ultimate raw ingredients for crafting top-tier Pu-erh tea.
▲ Mengku brand teas are top-tier items in the Pu-erh tea market.
The Mengku harvest season begins in April and ends in September. Spring harvesting occurs three times, divided into Chun Jian (early spring tips), Chun Zhong (mid-spring), and Chun Wei (late spring). Summer harvesting happens once, known as Er Shui (second flushing), and autumn harvesting happens once, known as Gu Hua (autumn flower tea). The first round of spring yields the highest quality, with Mengku Chun Jian standing out as the absolute finest.
Mengku Daxueshan and Bingdao Tea Regions
Among them, the millennium-old ancient tea tree clusters of Mengku Daxueshan represent the highest-altitude, highest-density, and most widely distributed ancient tea tree forest discovered in China today. The wild Mengku tea here is rated as top-tier Pu-erh tea stock. It is characterized by prominent tea fuzz, plump and robust tea leaves, a rich profile of inner components, and a deeply concentrated, sweet flavor. In addition, Mengku Bingdao is another famous tea region celebrated for its Bingdao large-leaf varietal. Bingdao Village is the main origin of the Mengku tea varietal, and it is said that the Bingdao large-leaf tea was originally brought from Yiwu, which is why Bingdao Pu-erh and Yiwu Pu-erh share a similar flavor profile.
Aside from Daxueshan and Bingdao, other famous tea regions in Mengku include Dahusai, Mangbo, Nasai, and Banuo.
▲ The beloved Mengku Rongshi Arbor King, cherished by tea enthusiasts everywhere.