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Mengku tea map
Here is a map I've made this morning. It represents the Mengku area with the main tea villages. As you can see, there are two main mountains: Xi Ban Shan in the west and Dong Ban Shan in the east. The...
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Yongde tea map
Here is a map of Yongde area, in the West of Lincang County, Yunnan.The main tea villages are indicated on the map, following is a list with more information.village name altitude...
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name that insect!
This beautiful friend loves to hike on the tea trees. I met him on the hills of Xishuangbanna, at 1200m of altitude. He doesn't talk a lot, but he likes the Camellia Sinensis too. He is a tea friend in...
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Picking tea
I have spent a large part of summer in the tea mountains of Xishuangbanna. Part of a tea farmer's life is filled by tea picking, I tried it for a week, while a friend and I were trying different black...
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Biodiversity
There are two ways to deal with animals in tea plantations. Either we consider them as enemies and we try to avoid them as much as possible, either we accept them in the plantation, and try to cope...
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Lao Man E
On my first visit, Lao Man E impressed me very much, even though it is a very famous place now, it feels so remote. Maybe I got that feeling because Lao Man E is only surrounded by ancient tea gardens,...
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How to describe Pu-erh tea?
This article is only a guideline, it is important to remember that the best tea is the tea that you like. Pu-erh tea has a rich taste and offers a large variety of profiles because there has been no...
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Mixed plantations
On my trips in Xishuangbanna, I came across a large variety of crops, from family gardens to industrial bananas, there is a lot to see in Southern Yunnan. In the surroundings of Jingmai mountain, an...
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Jingmai from space
Google Earth is a great tool, I often find myself travelling through it. I love to see how the places I've been to look like from space. Jingmai mountain was very well shot, with a clear sky and good...
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Going organic
Dear readers,It's been a long time I haven't posted, maybe being far from China kills my inspiration, I wish I could have fresh news to tell, brought directly from the fields of Xishuangbanna, I wish I...
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Principles of organic tea farming
Originally written by Pu Jin Jing 普金晶Check her blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2411643562仿原生态化的茶园管理模式（金晶）Principles of organic tea farming (By Pu Jin Jing)1.满天星式分布：按地形破度大小合理利用土地.In all cases,...
View ArticleCan Yunnan drought justify the Pu-erh price increase?
original article: http://www.puercn.com/puerchanews/news/43477.html云南干旱还会是2013年普洱茶涨价的一个因素吗？Can Yunnan drought justify increased Pu-erh prices in 2013?...
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ready to go!
I haven't posted for a while, I was busy with school and other stuff. But now, I am about to take a new trip to China. In the next ten weeks, I will work hard towards fullfilling several...
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Back to school
Finally back in Europe...This stay in China was very instructive, i learned more about tea, chinese language, and the impermanence of life. Now is time to go back to university, i’m happy i had to...
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The importance of biodiversity in tea farming
What is biodiversity? Biodiversity means diversity at different scales of life. It encompasses the diversity of landscapes in an area, the diversity of species in an ecosystem or even the diversity of...
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Modernity and traditions
A new generation of tea farmers is on the way. In the remote countryside of Yunnan, the youth are like everywhere else, they want to be connected, they want to share with the world. I took this picture...
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Jingmai celebrates!
Last week, a wealthy family of Jingmai’s main village honored the gods. Their tea business being successful, they need to keep the good fortune with them, and to do so, they organized a massive event....
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Natural predator
Hidden among the leaves, she is watching. Patience is her virtue, stealth is her credo. Still and stiff, she is waiting for the right moment to strike. She is a stem, and suddendly, she becomes a...
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A tea session with Pu Jin Jing
Pu Jin Jing is a tea person i greatly admire. She runs a tea workshop in Lincang. We have known each other for years on the chinese tea blogs but it was only this summer that i had the pleasure to...
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The story of Bannablog and its future
Dear tea community, it's been a long time I haven't posted new articles on this blog.I started Bannablog in Summer 2010, shortly after I bought my first camera. At the time, I was 19 and had just moved...
View ArticleWhy Pu-erh tea could be cheaper in 2015
As we all know, the price of Pu-erh tea has been steadily increasing in the past decade. The crash of 2007 is seen as a detail in the Pu-erh's race to become China's most famous and pricey tea.Since...
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For a fertile soil...
For a long time, soil has been seen as a simple support. The philosophy of conventional agriculture is to give each problem its solution: if there isn't enough nutrient, you add fertilizer, if there...
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Organic matter
In my last post, I talked about the importance of a good soil structure for having a high fertility. Another very important factor is the percentage of organic matter present in your soil. Organic...
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What defines a tea?
There are hundreds of different names for tea : Darjeeling muscatel, Bi Luo Chun, Tie Guan Yin, Hojicha, Pu-erh, Bai Mu Dan, Tai Ping Hou Kui, Dong Ding, Dong Fang Mei Ren, Gyokuro, etc…Just like the...
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New Website!
Dear reader,It's been a while I haven't posted here. Maybe I have stopped writing about tea because I am too busy learning. I have graduated and now live with my wife, Yubai, in Yunnan.We spend a lot...
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