The Crossing

“Maocha” is literally “rough tea”; it refers to tea that is unfinished. Youle Tea Mountain, also known as “Jinuo Mountain,” derives its name from being the primary residence of the Jinuo people. Today it is classified as a township of Jinghong City and includes the three towns of Manci, Shizui and Sitong. To the northeast, it borders the tea mountain of Gedeng, while to its southwest is Xiaomengyang. It is the head of the ancient “Six Famous Tea Mountains” and has a long tea-growing history as the center of this large mountain tea-growing area. The Crossing comes from semi-aged trees in an ecological garden near the village, as opposed to more expensive wild trees that can be found deeper in the forests and are often sold at much higher prices. Still, this garden has never seen agrochemicals and some of the trees are over a century old, though this tea is blended with trees that are younger.