Photo taken on April 1st shows Xiaguan Tuo Cha. (Xinhua/Zhao Pufan)

Pu'er tea, mostly shaped like cakes, is easy to compress, preserve, and transport. However, in Dali, Yunnan Province, there is a type of tightly compressed tea with a shape resembling steamed buns—Xiaguan Tuocha tea. What is the special origin of such uniquely shaped tea leaves? And how are the bun-like shapes crafted? Follow our lens into the Xiaguan Tuocha Tea House to find out.

Photo taken on April 1st shows Xiaguan Tuocha tea. (Xinhua/Zhao Pufan)

As early as 1902, Dali Xiaguan tea merchants improved and created "Tuo tea" based on the "Guniangtuan tea" produced in the southern Yunnan tea area. This special shape, with an outer round and inner concave, ensured good ventilation for the tightly compressed tea cakes, preventing mold and facilitating transport by caravans. Later, it earned the reputation of "Tuojiang River water, Xiaguan tea, with rich aroma and taste in excellent quality" because it was mainly sold in the Tuojiang River area of Sichuan Province, "Tuo tea" gradually evolved into "Tuocha tea."

Photo taken on April 1st shows a staff weighing the tea at the traditional tea-making demonstration area of the Xiaguan Tuocha Tea House. (Xinhua/Zhao Pufan)

Today's Xiaguan Tuocha tea is mostly produced with modern production lines, but at the traditional tea-making demonstration area of the Xiaguan Tuocha Tea House, you can still see the traditional tea-making process. After weighing one hundred grams of tea leaves and steaming and kneading them, they reach the tea compression stage, which is also a crucial step in shaping the tea leaves. You can see "A Peng Ge" wearing Bai ethnic clothing placing the tea leaves in the mold in the middle of the wooden tea compression stool, then sitting at the rear of the stool and using the lever principle to compress the tea leaves into shape. Finally, the tea is taken out to dry, completing the creation of a bun-shaped Tuocha tea.

Photo taken on April 1st shows a staff demonstrating traditional tea-making technique at the Xiaguan Tuocha Tea House. (Xinhua/Zhao Pufan)

Xiaguan Tuocha tea, inheriting a century-old tea-making craft, has been selected multiple times as one of Yunnan's "Top 10 Renowned Teas." With its unique shape and lingering aroma, Tuocha tea, originating from the region between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, has gained fame both domestically and internationally.

Photo taken on April 1st shows Tuocha tea waiting to dry. (Xinhua/Zhao Pufan)

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(Editors: Ines, Lexi)