At a glance
Yibang is a growing-area name often discussed for smaller-leaf tea and the Cat-Ear trade name. It does not mean every Yibang packet is Cat-Ear, one registered cultivar or one fermentation type.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 倚邦普洱茶 |
| Tea family | Pu-erh tea |
| Associated origin | Xiangming, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan |
| Leaf form | Leaf tea sold in loose or compressed forms; check the actual product |
Taste and appearance
The original records plump leaves with smaller buds and short fine dark glossy strands; the cup is yellow-green or golden, full and sweet with some bitterness and more noticeable astringency. Floral/honey aroma, a fine fresh texture and lingering cup fragrance are inherited comparisons. Repeated phrases are consolidated without changing their meaning. The original cup and leaf pictures are reused under other tea names and 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 | Plump leaves, smaller buds and short fine dark glossy strands | Plump leaves, smaller buds and short fine dark glossy strands | Plump leaves, smaller buds and short fine dark glossy strands |
| Dry colour | Lustrous dark green | Fairly lustrous dark green | Dark green |
| Liquor | Bright golden | Bright golden | Golden or yellow-green |
| Aroma | Rich lasting floral/honey | Delicate floral/honey | Distinct floral/honey |
| Taste | Fine fresh full sweet cup, bitterness with sweetness and more noticeable astringency, wild-floral impression | Quick lasting sweet return, fine fresh full sweetness and some bitterness/astringency | Light bitterness/astringency with sweet return, fine fresh full sweet cup |
| Infused leaves | Lively yellow-green tender thick leaves | Lively yellow-green even tender leaves | Lively visibly tender leaves |
Repetitions in the old taste cells are consolidated. Wild-floral wording is a sensory impression, not proof of wild trees. No universal leaf-size cultivar identity or current regional grading scheme is verified.
Names and origin
Yibang is associated with Xiangming and the historical six-tea-mountains discussion. A first-hand producer field account and independent seller material both discuss variation within Yibang rather than one simple leaf-size identity. Their botanical terminology differs; no genetic or cultivar-registration evidence was obtained for all material. Small-looking leaves alone do not establish a registered small-leaf cultivar or the Cat-Ear name. The earlier claim that every Yibang tea is ripe is not justified by its regional identity or raw-style examples. No universal exclusivity or rarity ranking is imported.
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 Yibang raw-style tea with floral/honey aroma and a fine sweet-returning cup. Some astringency is compatible with the old description.
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. It specifies a 110 mL gaiwan and 8 g raw tea, warming the empty cup with 100°C water, then a quick rinse without a numerical duration. Brew with 100°C / 212°F water along the gaiwan wall and decant after 5–10 seconds. No actual water is supplied; 110 mL is capacity, not a measured recipe ratio. Warming empty teaware and rinsing leaves are separate stages.
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
Ask whether Cat-Ear is actually claimed, which source/material is used, and for maker, process, dates and storage. Separate trade leaf-size language from registered cultivar identity and verified tree age.
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 | 1,204 | 240.8 |
| Grade 1 | 700 | 140 |
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 shared illustration shows picking, withering/spreading, fixation, rolling, sun-drying, pressing, drying and packing. It is a simplified sheng-style sequence; the second drying is labelled sun-drying in the picture, not a rule for every producer. GB/T 22111 distinguishes making sun-dried tea from refining, steaming/pressing, drying and packing sheng. The picture does not demonstrate a particular harvest, old-tree origin or brand, and is not a shou pile-fermentation map. This generic raw-style map does not certify a Yibang cultivar, source or a current registered product grade. Regional and material names are separate from finished processing.
Common questions
Is all Yibang tea Cat-Ear tea?
No. Cat-Ear is a narrower trade description associated with small round leaves, while Yibang is the wider source name. Request actual material, source, process and lot details; leaf size alone does not authenticate either.
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 Cat Ear 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.