An ancient Province, Yunnan located in southwestern China which borders Vietnam, Laos and Burma. This misty mountainous province has grown tea for 1700 years. The 'yun' in Yunnan means 'cloud' and most tea in Yunnan is grown at elevations of three thousand to seven thousand feet. The tea plant itself is often considered a native of Yunnan, as 260 different varieties, some the size of large trees, can be found here.

Yunnan teas are produced from a strain of ancient native big leaves tea bushes which are also used for the famous medicinal Pu-erh tea. These tea bushes have a longer life span, earlier and stronger buds, fat shoots, and thick, soft leaves. As evidence of how important climate and soil conditions are to tea bushes, if this native big leaves strain is transplanted anywhere else in China, it produces the typical 'China leaf' which is narrow, thin and dull in comparison. Transplant the same bush to its native environment, and it produces broad, thick, glossy, tippy leaves again.