Shanghai, October 28th

We welcome you to Shanghai from your country of departure: we arrange for a private pick-up for every traveller, greeting you in a gracious setting that will enable you to get the rest you need while sipping your first cup of tea in China.

It will be our first encounter with tea: it is time to just sip, and get ready for the next morning trip to Yixing.

Yixing, October 29th

We leave in the morning from Shanghai heading south, towards Yixing and its precious clays. We visit local studios in the afternoon and make our first encounters with the artists and masters whose pieces are already owned by many of you.

The ancient ceramic production district is the vibrant heart of Yixing: artists, students, artisans and museums, with one of the liveliest food cultures on the East coast.

Gallery: Yixing

Yixing, October 30th

We divide our time between the work of Yixing master Yuan Weixin and the historical landmarks of the area. Together with the masters Yuan Wexin and Lian Meiping, we discover - and touch - the different clays extracted in the famous mine No.4, right in front of their studio. We explore different shapes of teapots, and we follow them in their craft, to learn how a Yixing teapot is created.

During the day we visit several kilns, including a still active dragon kiln, observing all phases of the production process.

Gallery: Yixing

Yixing to Wuyishan, October 31st

In the morning we visitthe Yixing museum, which tells the history of the neighborhood through the centuries, with priceless pieces and the origin of clay through the Chinese dynasties.
Our guide is Lian Meiping, whose work was once hosted in the same museum.

It is a day with a great variety of trees and different micro-environments: we will feel on our skin the variations in temperature and humidity, and we will have a complete horizontal tasting of the area's productions.

Gallery: Wuyishan

Wuyishan, November 1st

Early in the morning we begin our journey among the rocks: thanks to Pengbao we have privileged access to the heart of Wuyi park. We cover all the most important areas, observing the cultivars, rock formations and having tea and lunch at two temples and a pagoda.

It is a day with a great variety of trees and different micro-environments: we will feel on our skin the variations in temperature and humidity, and we will have a complete horizontal tasting of the area's productions.

Gallery: Wuyishan

Tongmuguan, November 2nd

We head towards the gorgeous peaks of the northwest, following the Jiuqu River upstream through canyons and waterfalls, to the ancient village of Tongumuguan where the origin of red tea is preserved.

In this breathtaking landscape surrounded by unspoiled nature, green bamboo and bees working on their flowers, we taste different cultivars of Zhengshan Xiaozhong, including a couple of samples smoked by master Wu Chongfa.

We visit the original production facility on the Jiuqu River and before leaving the mountain we taste an exceptional meal cooked with local raw materials and herbs.

Gallery: Tongmuguan

Jianyang, November 3rd

In the morning we move in a south-east direction, towards the ancient Fujianese city of Jianyang, where Jianzhan pottery technique, today also popular in Japan with the name "Tenmoku", was crafted over 1,500 years ago, reaching its maximum popularity during the Song dynasty.

We visit a master's workshop, witness and understand the process of his craft. We will compare the original Song Dynasty cups with today's ones using an electronic enlarger, visit a dragon kiln, and try to glaze our own cups.
The meal is served in an old Fujianese courtyard, and afterwards we move to Fuzhou for the night.

Gallery: Jianzhang

Fuzhou to Kunming, November 4th

We fly to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, located at 2,100 meters above sea level between the tropical south and the Himalayan north.

We cross southern China from east to west, moving from the East China Sea to the heights of Yunnan, from the hot humid climate of Fujian to the freshness of Spring City, the capital of pu'er tea, where 25 cultural groups still live and thrive.

Gallery: Kunming

Kunming, November 5th

We meet Li Haibo, master and top teacher, for an in-depth seminar on the gongfucha practise and ceremony: we study technique and movements to brew properly Chinese teas, preparing some leaves from his impressive collections.

After a lunch with his private chef, he will prepare several teas using different Yixing pieces from his collection, studying their history and most important shapes.

Gallery: Kunming

Kunming, November 6th

We cross Cuihu Lake towards the old city, where we meet one of the most important figures in the contemporary history of pu'er tea: Mr. Hu, who in 2005 walked with a caravan of 120 horses loaded with pu'er tea from the city of Pu'er in southwest Yunnan to Beijing - about 3000 km to the northeast.

We taste some teas from their wide and rare collections, sharing leaves, stories from their past, and insights about the near future.

We dedicate the afternoon to the local tea market for professionals, with multiple chances to review and enrich the leaf-based experiences we had during our travel. It is an important place to feel the contemporary tea-scene in Yunnan: here every notable company is represented, with the best of its production.

Gallery: Kunming

Kunming to Xishuangbanna, July 2nd

In the morning we head south towards the ancient Dai kingdom of Xishuangbanna, where most of the premium pu'er tea is produced and enjoyed.

After checking in, we have a quiet lunch and we dedicate the afternoon to the study of locally grown teas: it is the cradle of pu’er tea, with great and rising aged white teas and continuously evolving Dianhong red teas.

Gallery: Nannuo mountain

Nannuo forest, November 8th

Nannuo mountain has a thousand-year history with tea, and due to its wilder history has an incomparable richness of tea forests: our travel into pu’er starts from here, walking to pay homage to the oldest 800-year-old tree, which is considered the king of Nannuo mountain, and whose location and story are so meaningful for our travel into pu’er tea.

After a typical Hani culture lunch in the mountain, with locally grown raw material, herbs, and spices, we visit an abandoned factory from the late '30s and we then head back to Xishuangbanna for an incense workshop and seminar: we go through 2000 years of fragrant history, actively studying the most important components, benefits, and interaction of different agarwood with different teas.

Gallery: Nannuo mountain

Bulang, November 9th

The day is dedicated to Bulang mountain, that includes an incredible richness of flavors and thousands-year old tradition of cultivation of the trees.

Our first stop is the micro-valley of Hekai, where we have a unique case study in the industry, before continuing our climd toward the symbol of the skyrocketing prices of pu'er tea: Laobanzhang, with its historic trees, evidence of ancient domestication, and the maximum security village that protects its treasure.

After a mountain lunch, we head to Laoman’e village, the most historical and cultural village of the area, with a lively ancient temple that is the old keeper of the local culture and pu’er tea.

Gallery: Laobanzhang and Laoman'e

Menghai, November 10th

Menghai is the center of the most renowned - and busiest - area for the production of pu'er tea: it is surrounded by the Bulang area with Laobanzhang and Laoman'e, Pasha, Nannuo, Naka and many others, and brings together all the best professionals and factories.

We visit a pu'er tea refining workshop and explore the local economy while dedicating our day to sampling the greatest teas.

In the afternoon, on the way to Xishuangbanna, we stop by our Pu'er shupu master for a specialised tasting, to smooth our way in the night.

Gallery: Menghai

Yiwu, November 11th

We head southeast toward the border with Laos, with the Yiwu peaks as our destination. This region is home to a diverse range of flavors, landscapes, and producers; forests of ancient tea trees stretch through the valleys, connected by the same road that hosted tribute tea caravans for centuries.

Upon arriving in Yiwu town, we settle into a small hotel with a well-kept garden, a terrace, and multiple tea rooms. We then take a walk through Yiwu’s most historically significant homes and lanes, visiting the square where pu'er tea was loaded and traded for generations, as well as the local museum, located at the first stop of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

Gallery: Yiwu

Yiwu, November 12th

We wake up surrounded by the peaks and scents of Yiwu, and after a proper tea session we head for the inner land of the area, diving in the cultural diversity of te area.

We visit two different tea villages and forests: Luoshuidong, with its remarkable trees, a sanctuary to its king-tree, and the ancient road; we take a long walk through its lanes and its trees, on the same stone-path that men and horses walked since the origin of the trade.

The second village is Mahei, an old Han culture village that determines what Yiwu means and taste. It is inhabited by the first migrants that settled here during the early tributary era,

Gallery: Yiwu

Xishuangbanna, November 13th

In the morning we immerse ourself once more, for our last intense day, in the most important pu'er teas of Yunnan: after many days visiting terroir and farmers, it is time to follow a tasting seminar to review the most important knowledge and create a solid taste-database of the area that welcomed and enchanted us.

For whoever wishes so, we also offer the option of a visit and treatment with our trustful Chinese doctor, expert in acupuncture.

In the afternoon we visit a lush tropical garden surrounded by forest, which houses the ceramic workshop of an innovative master we love: Qiu Laoshi and his creations. His work is deeply rooted in his territory: he uses only local sands and plant-based ashes for his glazes, and each of his production-season has a different hue. 

Galleries: Qiu Laoshi

Xishuangbanna, November 14th

It is time to wrap-up all the tastes, teas, people, places and experiences we have encountered through our travel: we meet in the morning in our tea studio to brew together the very best mountains and vintages. We prepare some Guanguan tea on the fire to warm up our soul before saying our goodbye.