Tea Cultivar · Camellia sinensis var. assamica
Mengku Da Ye Zhong
- Origin
- China - Lincang, Shuangjiang, Mengku
- Registered
- 1984
- Primary use
- sheng puerh, Yunnan black tea (dianhong)
Overview
Mengku Da Ye Zhong is one of three Yunnan large-leaf cultivars (alongside Menghai Da Ye Zhong and Fengqing Da Ye Zhong) officially recognized by China's national crop variety committee in 1984 as a 'national-class superior variety' (国家级良种). It is the formalized, clonally selected representative of the broader Mengku-area da-ye-zhong landrace and is widely planted not only across Lincang but also exported as planting stock to Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar's tea-producing regions.
Characteristics
Selected for vigor, yield, and high polyphenol content, the cultivar shows the classic assamica habit - single-trunked tree growth if unpruned, very large drooping leaves (often 14 to 18 cm), and a deep glossy green color. Tea polyphenol content typically measures 33 to 36 percent of dry matter, among the highest of any officially registered Chinese cultivar, with catechin content above 20 percent. Cold tolerance is poor; the cultivar is restricted to subtropical southwestern China.
Flavor profile
Sheng puerh from Mengku Da Ye Zhong is bold, honey-sweet, and aromatic with classic tobacco, dried apricot, and bitter-cocoa notes; the famous Mengku 'mountain rhyme' carries a cooling throat sensation. Processed as black tea (Lincang dianhong), it yields a rich, malty, golden-tipped cup with cocoa, longan, and sweet potato notes that rival Fengqing dianhong.
Where it grows
China - Lincang · China - Pu'er