Madeng Ancient Tea Mountain has been famous for producing renowned tea since ancient times, known as "Madeng Tea (or Old Madeng Tea)". It is the foremost traditional and historical famous tea of Zhenyuan County. Because it became famous historically for producing green tea, it is also called Madeng Large-Leaf Green Tea. Its reputation spread beyond the region over 300 years ago. Later, in 1981, it was honored as one of Yunnan's 'Eight Famous Teas' at the provincial famous tea appraisal conference, winning favor among a wide range of consumers and becoming a star product in the green tea category.
The Madeng Tea Garden is the representative garden of Madeng Ancient Tea Mountain, located on the western slope of the Ailao Mountains, originally produced in Madeng Village, Zhedong Township, Zhenyuan County. The traceable tea planting history dates back 800 years, with about 500 acres of existing cultivated arbor-type ancient tea trees. It is said that some of the existing ancient tea trees were planted under the guidance of the Xiao family 300 years ago. The Xiao family lived in Aolong Village, very close to Madeng, knew about the strong sales of Madeng tea abroad, and encouraged local villagers to plant them.
Traditional Madeng tea specifically refers to the ancient tea tree variety tea native to this region, which is sexual reproduction, small arbor type, large leaf category, and early budding species. This variety is characterized by strong fertility and relatively strong cold resistance. The sun-dried green tea processed from its raw materials features leaves covered in white hairs, fat and sturdy buds, a rich aroma with the sweet fragrance of wild tea, a strong flavor, and a characteristic long, sweet, and smooth throat feeling. In the 1980s, it was also introduced in other counties and districts of Pu'er City.
After the establishment of New China, Madeng tea was sold as a fine product to Japan, Southeast Asia, and other countries and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. According to records, on May 14, 1990, during her visit to China, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand tasted Madeng tea at a banquet hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Government and praised it highly. She immediately expressed her wish to take some back to Thailand for consumption. The provincial government subsequently gifted her 200 jin (100 kg) of Madeng spring tea, an event that was widely celebrated as a delightful story.
Madeng tea, which has always enjoyed a high reputation, has in recent years become difficult to find in its authentic form, with its 'true appearance' hard to locate and its 'fragrant trace' difficult to follow. It has been rumored within the industry to be a historical brand tea that is 'existing in name only'. The reasons cited include small tea planting area, aging varieties leading to low yield, and the mixing of ancient tree tea and terrace tea. However, this is not actually the case. Those who delve deeply into the Madeng tea gardens know the reason: today, Madeng tea has been relegated to an awkward role—as a tea 'MSG' (monosodium glutamate), used by some manufacturers and merchants as an ingredient in blended Pu'er tea products to enhance aroma and increase sweetness.
The Madeng Ancient Tea Mountain discussed in this article currently has an ancient tea garden area of nearly 1,755 acres, distributed in patches. The garden management is moderate, and the tree vigor is strong. It produces roasted green tea and sun-dried green tea, which are high-quality raw materials for making Pu'er tea, black tea, and green tea. The ancient tea gardens are mainly distributed in Madeng and Maidi villages, Zhedong Township, Zhenyuan County. This area has an altitude between 1760 and 1810 meters, vegetation consisting of mountain evergreen broad-leaved forests and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, an average annual temperature of 16.2 degrees Celsius, annual precipitation of 1118 to 1205 mm, and soil types of latosolic red soil and red soil. Representative plants include the Large Green Tea from Maidi Village (ZY2006-020) and the Old Madeng Tea from Madeng Village (ZY2006-022), both classified as Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Pu'er tea variety).
Pu'er tea made from raw materials of Madeng Ancient Tea Mountain has the following main characteristics: stout and sturdy strips, bright yellow liquor, relatively weak bitterness and astringency, quick and enduring sweet aftertaste, pure and positive aroma, full and thick liquor texture, and a strong mountain wilderness aura (山野气韵). The explanation of the five major ancient tea mountains in Zhenyuan County, Pu'er City, is temporarily concluded. The next issue will cover the five major tea mountains within the area of Jinggu County, Pu'er City. Please stay tuned.
Author Profile: Ai Wenhua, male, born on June 6, 1990, a native of Zhaotong, Yunnan. Poet, Pu'er tea columnist, and editor-in-chief of Shuocha.com (说茶网). His works have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies such as "Poetry Journal", "The Stars", "Dianchi", "Years", etc. Personal WeChat: YQaiwenhua.