guó yǒu lín

High in the national forests of Yiwu Mountain (易武, yì wǔ) grow trees that yield the most expensive and hard-to-access sheng pu’er in the entire Xishuangbanna region. Among them, 薄荷塘 (bò hé táng, “Mint Pond”) is a benchmark of refinement, while neighboring Guafengzhai and Tongqinghe set the tone for the “wild” style of the national forests.

Terroir: Yiwu and Its National Forests

Yiwu Mountain is located in Mengla County (勐腊) of the Xishuangbanna Prefecture (Yunnan) and belongs to the classic group of 古六大茶山 (gǔ liù dà chá shān, “Six Ancient Tea Mountains”). While the western Menghai style (Lao Banzhang, Lao Man’e) is renowned for power and bitterness, Yiwu has historically been considered a land of softness, water sweetness, and a long aftertaste — what the Chinese call 韵 (yùn), a “resonant aftertaste.” The benchmark for this classic profile is Mahei Village (麻黑) with its soft infusion, sweet water, and extended yùn.

A special category within Yiwu is formed by 国有林 (guó yǒu lín) — national, protected forests. These are not garden plantations, but old tea trees scattered among wild forest vegetation, on remote slopes that are hard to reach. The trees here have not been subject to intensive cultivation; they grow interspersed with the forest canopy, and it is this wild environment that defines their characteristic “forest note” — 野韵 (yě yùn) and the distinctive coolness of the infusion.

薄荷塘 — Mint Pond

薄荷塘 is a village-level site (村寨) of the highest tier, belonging to Yiwu and its national forests. In THE TEA’s classification, it stands in the S+ category — meaning among absolute scarcities and price peaks, on par with Lao Banzhang and Imperial Mansong.

The material is 古树 (gǔ shù), old trees. The profile of 薄荷塘 is described as 清雅花蜜 (qīng yǎ huā mì) — a “pure, elegant floral-honey” character with a cool minty note (薄荷凉, bò hé liáng) and a pronounced fineness, a refinement of texture (细腻, xì nì). It is this cool freshness that gave the site its name. Unlike the dense, full-bodied national forest teas, 薄荷塘 captivates not with power, but with clarity, lace-like delicacy, and a long, clean aftertaste.

The volumes are extremely small, access to the trees is difficult, and this makes 薄荷塘 the most expensive tea in Yiwu — a position it holds in the market as an absolute reference point for price and rarity.

Guafengzhai and Its 片区

刮风寨 (guā fēng zhài, Guafengzhai) is a village of the Yao people (瑶族), also located within the Yiwu national forests, tier S. Its teas are distinguished by a strong “wild” resonance (野韵强) and a floral-honey aroma. Within Guafengzhai, individual micro-sites (片区) are identified: 茶王树 (chá wáng shù), 白沙河 (bái shā hé), and 冷水河 (lěng shuǐ hé).

Among them, 茶王树 (“Tea King Tree”) stands apart: it is an S+ tier site, yielding tea with a soaring floral-fruity-honey aroma (花果蜜香高扬), a dense body of the infusion (汤厚), and pronounced tea energy (气强, qì qiáng). In terms of the combination of aromatic height and strength, 茶王树 is one of the pinnacles of all the eastern tea mountains.

Tongqinghe and Other National Forest Sites

铜箐河 (tóng qìng hé, Tongqinghe) is another representative of the national forests, tier A. Its profile is “wild, cool, dense” (野, 凉, 厚): the body of the national forest combined with that same characteristic coolness of the infusion.

Nearby stand the legendary “garden” benchmarks of Yiwu, not part of the national forests but shaping the overall taste context of the area:

• Mahei (麻黑, S) — classic Yiwu: soft infusion, sweet water, extended yùn.
• Wangong (弯弓, wān gōng, S) — the core of the historical 曼撒 (màn sā) area: floral-honey aroma, finesse, and fullness.
• Luoshuidong (落水洞, luò shuǐ dòng, A) — sweet-soft, honeyed; the village is known for its own legend of a “king tree.”

Cultivar and Trees

The raw material is Yunnan large-leaf tea (大叶种, dà yè zhǒng) from old trees. For national forest sites, these are typically scattered ancient trees in a forest environment, rather than dense gardens. The wild surroundings, altitude, absence of intensive intervention, and the old age of the root system yield a concentrated, mineralized infusion with that very forest resonance and coolness in the throat.

Processing

薄荷塘 and its neighbors are 生普 (shēng pǔ), raw (unfermented) pu’er. The classic chain: picking of flushes from old trees → withering → fixation of the green leaf 杀青 (shā qīng) in a wok → rolling 揉捻 (róu niǎn) → sun-drying, yielding the semi-finished product 晒青毛茶 (shài qīng máo chá). The material is then pressed into cakes (bǐng) or other forms and set aside for natural aging. For national forest benchmarks, delicate fixation that does not “kill” the subtle aromatics and clean sun-drying are critical — it is these that preserve the floral-honey clarity and minty freshness for which 薄荷塘 is valued.

Standards

Pu’er belongs to products protected as a geographical indication of Yunnan Province, with a division into raw (shēng) and ripe (shú) types and a link to Yunnan large-leaf material. Sites of the Yiwu level and its national forests are in most cases sold as single-origin tea with an indication of the specific micro-site; it is the micro-origin, not a general standard, that determines price and identity here.

Taste and Brewing

薄荷塘 reveals itself with a transparent golden infusion, a floral-honey aroma, a cool “minty” breath in the top notes, and a silky, fine texture. Its national forest neighbors add more wildness and density to this: Guafengzhai — rich 野韵 and soaring aroma, Tongqinghe — body and coolness.

Recommendations for steeping:

• Vessel: Yixing clay teapot or porcelain gaiwan.
• Water: soft, around 95–100 °C.
• Ratio: approximately 7–8 g per 110–130 ml.
• Rinse: one short, rinsing steep.
• Brewing: first infusions for 5–10 seconds, then increasing; old Yiwu trees withstand many steeps without losing sweetness or resonance.

It is worth paying attention to 喉韵 (hóu yùn) — the sensation of coolness and sweetness descending into the throat; it is this that distinguishes genuine national forest material.

History and Culture

Yiwu is the historical heart of the six ancient tea mountains and one of the nodes of the old Tea Horse Road. National forest sites like 薄荷塘, 刮风寨, and 铜箐河 entered the modern pantheon relatively recently, during the boom of single-origin sheng pu’er: their inaccessibility, small volumes, and recognizable “forest” freshness quickly turned them into collectible benchmarks. Guafengzhai, meanwhile, remains a living village of the Yao people, for whom the tea forests are part of the traditional way of life.

How to Distinguish

• The origin of the site matters more than the “Yiwu brand.” Authentic 薄荷塘 is a specific national forest micro-site with a microscopic output; vast “薄荷塘 batches” are by definition suspicious.
• Minty coolness and fineness. 薄荷塘 is recognized by the combination of a pure floral-honey aroma with a cool breath and silky delicacy — not by power or bitterness.
• National forest vs. garden. Guafengzhai and Tongqinghe give a more “wild,” dense, cool profile (野韵), while Mahei and Luoshuidong offer the soft sweetness of classic garden Yiwu.
• Resonance matters more than strength. Yiwu is about 韵 and throat coolness; if heavy bitterness of the Menghai type dominates in the cup, this is not a Yiwu profile.