Guides du thé et des objets à thé
China’s Top Ten Regional Tea Brands: The 2017 List
West Lake Longjing was included in the 2017 China Top Ten Regional Tea Brands announced at the first China International Tea Expo in Hangzhou. This was recognition of a regional name, not a ranking of ten individual tea companies or a tasting verdict on every product sold under those names.
The date matters. The supplied article describes the announcement made on 20 May 2017. It should be read as a record of that event, rather than a newly released list for the current year.
The ten regional tea brands
The Ministry of Agriculture press-office report, published by Xinhua on 20 May 2017, names the following ten. The order below follows that announcement; it is not presented here as a first-to-tenth quality ranking.
- West Lake Longjing
- Xinyang Maojian
- Anhua Dark Tea
- Mengding Mountain Tea
- Lu’an Guapian
- Anxi Tieguanyin
- Pu’er Tea
- Huangshan Maofeng
- Wuyi Rock Tea
- Duyun Maojian
What is a regional public brand?
A regional public brand is built around a shared place and tea identity. A commercial brand identifies a particular business or product range. For a buyer, those are different layers of information. West Lake Longjing identifies a regional tea; names such as Gongpai or Xihu Brand identify businesses’ commercial offerings.
A regional honor does not make every seller an authorized user of a protected name. It also does not establish that two packets from different producers have the same harvest, processing or taste. Our guide to commercial Longjing brands explains that distinction with examples.
How the selection was organized
The official report describes provincial nominations, public online voting, expert scoring and an anonymous expert vote. Seventeen other regional brands received an excellence title. Those awards belong to the same historical event; they are not a universal grading system for all Chinese teas.
How much should the list influence a purchase?
It can introduce tea regions worth exploring and explain why a name carries recognition. It cannot tell you whether a particular tea is fresh, well stored, fairly priced or suited to your palate. The useful next step is to move from the regional name to the actual package.
For West Lake Longjing, check producer and batch information, origin claims and harvest details. Then consider the cup you enjoy and the price per unit of tea. Start with our authenticity checks or explore the Longjing topic guide.
Historical source: the supplied article attributed to the China International Tea Culture Research Association, checked against the 2017 Ministry of Agriculture press-office announcement carried by Xinhua. This page is not a current annual leaderboard.