---
title: "Bòhétáng"
url: https://thetea.app/article/bohetang
lang: en
updated: 2026-07-19
source: THE TEA — encyclopedia of Chinese tea (https://thetea.app)
---
# Bòhétáng (薄荷塘)

*Bòhétáng* (薄荷塘) is a micro-zone of *gǔshù* raw material from the [易武](https://thetea.app/article/yi-wu) (*Yìwǔ*) state forest in southeastern Xishuangbanna, occupying an S+ tier within the sheng pu-erh lineup: extremely scarce, a benchmark of finesse, and one of the most expensive teas in all of 易武. The site's name derives from 薄荷 (*bòhe* — literally "mint"), and it is precisely the minty coolness that has become its identifying signature. This is a rare case where strength is expressed through refinement: forest purity, a floral-honey aroma, and a cool, almost minty after-sensation.

**1. Classification and Origin:**

* **Type:** sheng pu-erh (生普) — pu-erh of the raw (non-fermented "post-fermentation") type.
* **Category:** *gǔshù* ([古树](https://thetea.app/article/gushu-dashu-taidi-yesheng)) — old tea trees; single-zone, high-end market segment.
* **Origin:** 勐腊 County (*Měnglà*), Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province; the greater 易武 (*Yìwǔ*) area — the historical heart of the "Six Famous Tea Mountains" (古六山).
* **Site Status:** within the *míngzhài* (名寨) register, it is distinctively marked as 易武([国有林](https://thetea.app/article/guo-you-lin)) — "state forest" (*guóyǒulín*).
* **Variety/Cultivar:** Yunnan large-leaf type (大叶种) of the Assamica group.
* **Neighboring zones within the same ecological niche of the 易武 state forest:** [刮风寨](https://thetea.app/article/guafengzhai) (*Guāfēngzhài*), 铜箐河 (*Tóngqìnghé*), and the top-tier 片区 茶王树 (*Cháwángshù*), which belongs to 刮风寨. Against this "wild" backdrop, *Bòhétáng* distinguishes itself not by power, but by elegance — this is its hallmark.

**2. History and Cultural Significance:**

* *Bòhétáng* is a phenomenon of the relatively recent era of "single-mountain" (*dānshān*) and "single-zone" teas, when the sheng pu-erh market shifted from regional blends to the cult of a specific village, forest, and even an individual tree.
* 易武 played the role of a historical locomotive: it is the ancient core of the pu-erh trade and the "Six Famous Mountains," to which legendary names like 弯弓 (*Wāngōng*, the historical core of 曼撒) and 麻黑 (*Máhēi*) belong.
* Against this backdrop, the state forest zones — 刮风寨, 茶王树, 铜箐河, and *Bòhétáng* — came to be perceived as the pinnacle of "wild purity" in 易武.
* In this hierarchy, *Bòhétáng* has occupied the position of both a price and quality peak: the extreme rarity of raw material deep within a protected forest, the recognizable minty signature, and a reputation as the "most refined" among heavyweights have made it a name by which the top tier of the 易武 market is measured.

**3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:**

* *Bòhétáng* is *gǔshù* (古树), old tea trees.
* The raw material here comes not from a dense, uniform garden, but from a small number of tall trees scattered across the forest, which explains the microscopic volumes and sky-high price.
* Like all of 易武, *Bòhétáng* relies on the Yunnan large-leaf type (大叶种) of the Assamica group — this provides the region's characteristic soft, "watery-sweet" infusion structure and long aftertaste.
* The site's peculiarity is that forest *gǔshù* yield unusually fine and "transparent" material: for all its richness, it is not heavy or coarse, but rather ethereal — a quality recorded in the register by the word 细腻 (*xìnì*, "fine-delicate").

**4. Terroir and Cultivation Features:**

* The designation 国有林 ("state forest") is the key to the tea's entire character. Unlike village gardens planted near houses and on surrounding slopes, 国有林 zones lie deep within a protected forest, reached by hours of walking.
* The old tea trees here do not grow in plantation rows but are embedded within the living canopy of a tropical forest, surrounded by tall trees, lianas, and undergrowth.
* It is precisely this regime — diffused light, high humidity, cool nights, a rich forest floor, and an almost complete absence of human intervention — that forms what tasting notes call "forest resonance" (山野气) and, in the case of *Bòhétáng*, a distinct coolness.

**5. Production Technology:**

* *Bòhétáng* is a sheng pu-erh (生普), a pu-erh of the raw type. The basic technological chain for such raw material is common throughout 易武:
  * picking of flushes from *gǔshù*;
  * withering (*wěidiāo*);
  * fixation of the green leaf — "killing the green" (*shāqīng* 杀青) in a wok, applied gently to preserve the delicate aromatics and not "kill" the characteristic freshness;
  * rolling (*róuniǎn* 揉捻);
  * sun-drying (*shàiqīng* [晒青](https://thetea.app/article/shai-qing)) — it is precisely sun-drying that yields 晒青毛茶, the foundation for pu-erh, in contrast to the oven-drying used for green teas.
* The resulting 晒青毛茶 can then be pressed into cakes (*bǐng*) and set aside for slow, natural aging.
* For a zone of *Bòhétáng*'s caliber, the delicacy of each step is critical: rough *shāqīng* or over-drying would erase the very floral-honey finesse and coolness for which this tea is prized.
* In practice, *Bòhétáng* material is most often offered as a pure single-zone (单株 — *dānzhū*, "from a single tree," or a strictly micro-batch) product without blending — mixing it with less rare material is pointless here.

**6. Organoleptic Characteristics:**

* The *Bòhétáng* profile is described in the register by the formula 清雅花蜜 + 薄荷凉, 细腻 — "a pure-elegant floral-honey aroma plus a minty coolness, with a delicate texture."
* **Aroma** — high, bright, floral-honey (花蜜香), without heaviness or "wild" coarseness; pure and focused.
* **Body** — not "mountain-powerful" like 布朗 teas such as [老班章](https://thetea.app/article/laobanzhang), but fine, silky, transparent; the strength is hidden in its elegance.
* **Signature** — a characteristic coolness associated with mint (薄荷, *bòhe* — literally "mint," which is the origin of the site's name). This sensation of freshness and a "coolness" in the throat and on the palate is what distinguishes *Bòhétáng* from any village 易武 tea.
* **Structure** — the soft, watery-sweet base of 易武 with a long, clean aftertaste.
* In comparison with the benchmark of classic 易武 — the village of 麻黑 (*Máhēi*), known for its 汤柔水甜 and long-lasting "韵" — *Bòhétáng* moves in the same direction of softness and length, but adds a forest-like sharpness of perception and that very minty coolness, rendering the profile more "mountainous" and crystalline.

**9. Brewing:**

Brewing recommendations (gongfu, as for a fine *gǔshù* sheng):

* **Teaware** — a porcelain gaiwan, so as not to subdue the high aromatics.
* **Water** — soft, close to 95–100 °C; water quality is critical for "transparent" teas.
* **Infusion** — a short, quick rinse followed by a series of very short infusions, with a gradual increase in steeping time.
* **Logic** — do not "press" the leaf; *Bòhétáng* reveals itself patiently, holds up to many infusions, and continues to yield sweetness and coolness in the finale for a long time.

**11. Price and Counterfeits:**

* *Bòhétáng* is one of the most expensive teas in all of 易武; the price and quality peak of the state forest. Due to scarcity and price, there are a great many counterfeits and materials "stretched" to fit the *Bòhétáng* name on the market.
* **Coolness, not power.** If heavy bitterness and a "punch" dominate the cup (as in a 布朗 profile), this is not the logic of *Bòhétáng*. Here, one expects elegance, a high floral-honey aroma, and a distinct "minty" coolness.
* **Fineness of texture.** The infusion is transparent and silky (细腻), without coarseness or "village" density; strength is expressed through aftertaste and a throaty freshness, not viscosity.
* **State forest context.** Authentic *Bòhétáng* is 国有林 material, by definition micro-batch. Large, "even" volumes at an accessible price are incompatible with this status.
* **Comparison with neighbors.** Close in profile and origin stand 刮风寨/茶王树 (brighter 花蜜香, a thicker body, and stronger "气") and 麻黑 (softer, without a pronounced minty coolness). If the "minty" signature is absent while the body is heavy, it is more likely that you have a different 易武 tea being passed off as *Bòhétáng*.

**12. Interesting Facts:**

* **On standards.** Pu-erh as a category is described by a separate national standard of the PRC for *Pǔ'ěr* tea ([普洱茶](https://thetea.app/article/pu-ercha)), covering, among other things, the raw (生) type based on 晒青毛茶 from Yunnan large-leaf raw material of protected geographical origin. *Bòhétáng*, being *gǔshù* material from 易武, formally falls into this category as a high-end, single-zone sheng.
* **The limits of standardization.** The national standard establishes the category, raw material type, and basic requirements, but does not assign "村寨" status. The ranking of 区级 → 名山级 → 村寨级 and the S+ tier itself is a market-industry hierarchy of named zones, not a standards certificate. Therefore, the "名" of *Bòhétáng* lives primarily by reputation, state forest geography, and genuine rarity, not by a GOST number.