At a glance
Kunlushan is a Ning’er tea-origin name. The old entry emphasises an elegant fragrant cup; neither that description nor a royal-tea reputation identifies the grade, tree age or source of an individual packet.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 困鹿山普洱茶 |
| Tea family | Pu-erh tea |
| Associated origin | Kuanhong village area, Ning’er County, Pu’er, Yunnan |
| Leaf form | Leaf tea sold in loose or compressed forms; check the actual product |
Taste and appearance
The old introduction describes a fragrant sweet smooth cup with an enduring finish, comparatively lighter body and fewer infusions than some forceful regional styles. The table separately describes full flavour and slight bitterness, tight plump hairy strands, a dark glossy dry colour, clear golden liquor and floral/honey or wild-floral impressions. Those descriptions need not come from the same preparation or lot. Shared cup and leaf photographs are withheld.
The original liquor and infused-leaf photograph is withheld because identical pixels were assigned to another tea name. Its named identity could not be confirmed; the original file is preserved.
The cover is the original dry-leaf illustration. These images are not TeaPlain tasting samples or proof of origin, grade, age, authenticity or image rights clearance.
Grade characteristics
This preserves the earlier Chinese edition’s sensory comparison. It is not a complete verified current standard table and does not grade your packet. Plant material, growing area, processing and grade are separate details. Decorative star rankings are omitted.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare the grades.
| Feature | Extra grade (old comparison) | Grade 1 (old comparison) | Grade 2 (old comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Tight plump hairy strands with small buds | Fairly plump hairy strands | Tight fairly plump material with small buds |
| Dry colour | Glossy lustrous black | Fairly lustrous black | Fairly lustrous black |
| Liquor | Bright golden | Transparent golden | Fairly bright golden |
| Aroma | Lasting floral/honey and wild-floral | Long floral/honey and wild-floral | Long floral/honey |
| Taste | Smooth sweet long finish, slight bitterness and full fragrant taste | Smooth sweet finish, slight bitterness and full taste | Smooth sweet, light bitterness and full taste |
| Infused leaves | Lively flexible tender even leaves | Flexible tender even leaves | Fairly even leaves |
These three inherited sensory comparisons are retained, not presented as a complete current village standard. Tree age, precise source, ingredients and processing cannot be established from this table. Body and infusion-count comparisons are sample-dependent.
Names and origin
The original places this tea around Kuanhong in Ning’er; a first-hand harvesting-event report confirms the local garden association. A second account discusses a wider mountain/tea-tree community, rather than the exact same village garden. Their geographical scopes and figures must not be merged into one estate census. Small buds in the inherited grade table do not identify every tea as one cultivar. The old comparisons with Laobanzhang, Yiwu and Mengku are stylistic, not a blind ranking; royal names do not authenticate a historical tribute lot.
Everyday benefits
Brewed without added sugar, this is an ordinary tea drink that can be an alternative to sweetened drinks and contribute to fluid intake. It contains caffeine. These everyday properties do not establish that this named tea treats disease, lowers blood sugar or improves sleep. No TeaPlain clinical or brewing test is claimed here.
Who may enjoy this tea
For people comparing a clearly identified tea for aroma and a lingering sweet finish, without requiring maximum bitterness or the greatest number of infusions.
When to take care
- Caffeine sensitivity or sleep problems: consider your total intake and timing if tea affects your sleep. A pale infusion is not a caffeine-free claim.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding or medicines: ask a clinician or pharmacist about your actual product, caffeine intake and relevant medicine instructions.
- Iron supplements: follow the medicine’s instructions about separating tea from the dose. Do not use tea as treatment for anaemia.
These are product and individual considerations, not a blanket ban based on traditional “hot” or “cold” labels, age, sex or a constitution category.
How to brew
Original prose: glass vessel with full separation
The original says heat-safe glass, 1:18, 100°C / 212°F, moisten/rinse the leaves, then pour off the drinking infusion after 10 seconds. It mentions more than ten infusions, a possibility rather than a guarantee. No duration or water volume is given for the initial moistening/rinse. Use heat-safe teaware with a strainer or another way to separate all the liquid promptly.
| Detail | Original prose with explicit ratio arithmetic |
|---|---|
| Tea | 5 g loosened from the compressed tea, an arithmetic example |
| Actual water | 90 mL / about 3 US fl oz measured actual water at 1:18 |
| Vessel | Heat-safe glass brewing vessel with a safe way to strain/decant fully |
| Water | 100°C / 212°F |
| Initial moistening/rinse | Mentioned, but no time or water amount specified |
| First drinking infusion | 10 seconds, then separate the tea liquor |
| Later infusions | Adjust to the actual leaves; more than ten is not guaranteed |
The 5 g / 90 mL example is arithmetic, not a measurement from a picture. These inherited directions are awaiting hands-on testing. Vessel capacity, water poured and liquid recovered are different quantities. Keep the original gaiwan illustration below separate. Take a measured portion, rather than steeping a whole cake, brick or large tuo in a mug, and let the drink cool enough to sip. A rinse is not a means of making mouldy tea suitable to drink.
Read the original illustration separately
Illustration: gaiwan. Gently loosen pieces, weigh about 8 g for a 120 mL gaiwan, warm the empty vessel and rinse/wet leaves, open the lid, then infuse and decant after 3–5 seconds, extending time after five infusions. The 120 mL is capacity, not actual measured water. No numerical temperature, rinse duration or rinse disposal instruction is supplied. Do not insert the prose’s 100°C or a calculated 1:18 into this incomplete illustration.
For ordinary teaware options, see brew without a gaiwan. Keep each complete method together instead of selecting temperature, dose and time from different preparations.
Adjust your cup
| What you notice | One change to try |
|---|---|
| Too strong, bitter or drying | Separate the liquid from the leaves; shorten contact time or use less tea next time |
| Weak or watery | Keep the measured water fixed and try a longer infusion before changing the leaf dose |
| Later infusions become stronger | Check whether liquid was left sitting with the leaves |
| Different from a flavour description | Compare the actual product and method; a description is not a promise for every cup |
Change one variable at a time. For a fuller sequence, see fix a disappointing first cup.
How to buy
Check the specific source or blend, maker, identified material, raw/ripe process, harvest and production dates, storage history and a sample. A flavour impression, high price or tree-age story does not authenticate a packet.
See buy your first Chinese tea for packet comparisons.
China price reference
Undated figures retained from the Chinese edition, in Chinese yuan (CNY). No original brand, batch, harvest or quotation date was recorded. These are not verified current retail quotes, a market average or manufacturer-suggested retail prices.
| Chinese-edition tier | CNY per 500 g (one jin) | Equivalent CNY per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Extra grade | 1,680 | 336 |
| Grade 1 | 952 | 190.4 |
Per 100 g is an arithmetic conversion, not a quoted packet. Do not infer a missing sensory or price tier. Compare actual growing area, style, harvest, roast, weight and channel. A currency conversion does not make a UK or US retail offer comparable to a China historical figure.
How to store
Original storage method
The old method describes conditional long-term storage, with duration depending on the tea, processing and actual storage history. It uses a clean, odour-free, shaded, relatively ventilated place, a clean carton or kraft bag without fully sealing the outer package, and original bamboo-shell wrapping where supplied. It keeps tea on shelving above floor level, away from walls, separates different types and batches, and checks it every few months.
Its targets are below 25°C / 77°F and below 70% relative humidity. These are inherited environmental references, not a validated universal ageing optimum, a target humidity to create, or a guarantee of remaining life. A partly closed carton is appropriate only where the surrounding conditions are clean, dry and suitable; it is not protection from a damp room. Follow the actual label and its specified conditions first.
In a UK or US kitchen
Choose a dry, stable place away from the stove, dishwasher steam, sunlight, spices, chemicals and food smells. Ventilation does not mean leaving tea exposed on a worktop or near an open damp window. Protect both the bulk pack and a small working portion from moisture and contamination. Do not deliberately humidify tea to imitate a factory fermentation pile. Check condition as well as dates; reject obvious mould, water damage or abnormal mustiness rather than trying to rinse it away. Long-term keeping is conditional, not a promise that every tea improves indefinitely. See storing opened tea.
Origin, processing and history
The twelve-step inherited diagram includes picking, spreading, heat-fixing, rolling, breaking clumps, sun drying, pile fermentation, drying, screening, storage, pressing and wrapping. Its pile-fermentation stage is a generic ripe-style route, not the route for every raw tea from this origin. The brewing photograph and this general process map describe different scopes.
Common questions
Does small-bud Kunlushan mean one verified cultivar?
No. Bud size in a descriptive table is not a cultivar identification or proof of a particular selected tree. Ask for the actual material, garden, process and traceable producer.
Can I move one number from this recipe into a different vessel?
Keep leaf form, measured dose and actual water, temperature, timing and separation together. Nominal capacity or a fill fraction is not a measured ratio.
Compare Sheng Puerh, or browse the pu-erh tea overview.
Editorial notes and updates
Updated 16 October 2026. Valid original descriptions, sensory comparisons, prose and image methods, storage handling, China price figures and usable pictures are retained with their scope. Doubtful medical, ranking and exact historical claims are revised or omitted. Current full grade clauses and historical prices are not certified. Original Chinese-labelled graphics have English reading notes; no TeaPlain tasting or brewing test is claimed. Internal research and image audits record the decisions.