After five years, we are excited to introduce a new producer: Zhao Siwei, a descendant of the Miyi tea people.
Born in 1964 in Jiepai Village, Xinfu Town, Mojiang County, Yunnan Province, Zhao Siwei, known as Uncle Zhao, grew up listening to his mother’s stories. She recounted how their Zhao ancestors migrated from Jiangxi to Jingdong in Yunnan, and eventually settled in Xinfu over 500 years ago.
The name "Miyi" is familiar to tea mountain enthusiasts, as Miyi tea and Miyi ancient tea mountains are well-known. The name "Miyi" originates from Zhao's ancestors who pioneered the cultivation of upland grains. They also planted tea seeds brought from Jingdong around the village for daily consumption.
During the Qing Dynasty, Miyi tea gained fame, receiving an imperial plaque from Emperor Qianlong. Unfortunately, this historical artifact was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. To survive the tough times, the villagers had to destroy the tea plants and grow grains instead. As a result, only a few dozen acres of tea trees remained, which now serve as the foundation for Miyi tea.
Despite a humble childhood, Uncle Zhao was fortunate. His hardworking mother balanced farming and working at a tea factory, while his two elder brothers sacrificed their education to work and support his studies. This instilled in him a determination to change his family’s fate through knowledge.
After high school, he studied tea science at an agricultural school and was later assigned to Mojiang Tea Factory, where he worked for 30 years in tea production and management. Upon retirement, he leased a tea garden, implementing modern organic management techniques, continuing his passion for tea. As he says, “Old horses never stop; they aim for great distances.”
“Tea planting, garden management, tea processing, and production management require immersing oneself in the mountains, working with soil, trees, and farmers, sowing colorful times, and harvesting green leaves,” Uncle Zhao explains. With his professional background, he speaks of tea with both practicality and romance. Today, he adheres to “green, organic, and ecological” tea garden management, striving for harmony among people, tea, and nature.
Located in southern Yunnan at 101°08′-102°04′E and 22°51′-23°59′N, Phoenix Mountain’s ancient tea gardens span 20,800 acres. These gardens are scattered across six ancient tea mountains: Tuantian, Midi Tribute, Jingxing Haomen, Tongguan, Balou, and Xuli Tribute. Known for producing tea with a sweet and clear aroma, these gardens are remote, far from urban pollution, naturally meeting the evaluation standards of our tea gardens.
The fresh tea leaves are harvested from the Phoenix Mountain ancient tea area, situated at elevations between 1,300 and 1,940 meters. With an annual temperature of 14.2-18.3°C and an average rainfall of 1,293 mm, the soil is predominantly red and yellow-brown.
The Yunnan large-leaf tea seedlings, grown from seeds over many years, have distinct characteristics:
Uncle Zhao follows an ancient, unique Yunnan process to produce this tea. Using a lighter fermentation method (compared to traditional fully-fermented Dianhong) and sun-drying, the process integrates the craftsmanship of white tea, the characteristics of Dianhong, and the essence of Pu-erh tea. This results in a tea that retains the natural flavor of the tea trees.
During fermentation, the tea undergoes light oxidation and is dried naturally in sunlight, preserving more active substances like tea polyphenols. This method retains the varietal aroma in each leaf, resulting in a tea with a subtle floral fragrance, sweet and pure taste, and exceptional durability for multiple infusions.
Newly produced sun-dried red tea not only offers a clear floral aroma and sweet, pure taste but also can undergo post-fermentation like Pu-erh tea, allowing for long-term storage. Unlike common Dianhong, aged sun-dried red tea is rare, and its evolved flavors are worth anticipating.
