Same tea, different names

Although sales of pu'er tea have been hit by the global financial recession, it's time for China's tea industry to have its own brands, says Yang Shanxi, director of the Office of Tea Industry in the Yunnan provincial government.

He was speaking at the 4th Yunnan International Pu'er Tea Expo held in the provincial capital, Kunming.

The market already has some big names such as Taetea, Long Sheng, Long Run, and Colorful Yunnan. Of these, the Taetea Group is one of the strongest contenders. Its predecessor, Menghai Tea Factory, began production in 1940. In 2007, it became the first Chinese tea brand to have its ad broadcast on prime time on China Central Television (CCTV), at a cost of 56 million yuan ($8 million).