China is the birthplace of tea and there’s no better place to see what goes in to making the perfect pot than in China itself. Several tour companies in Chengdu offer tea-making tours where you will discover the way this beverage is produced. The tour begins at Mount Mengding and a local farmer will be your tour guide. He will let you in on what goes in to making tea from brewing the perfect cup to bringing in the best harvest. What the Chengdu farmer has to say will be translated by your very own translator who is part of the tour. The most exciting part of the tour is having lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and making your own cup.

The times for the tours are usually in the morning. The tour package includes a hotel pick up and a ride that will be around two hours. During the journey the tour guide will tell you about the sites that you pass and explain the surrounding areas. The route to Mengding is filled with views of cloudy mountains, tea plantations and beautiful trees. Mending is one of the first places to have cultivated the plant and it dates back to the Han period.

Once you finish lunch at the Chinese restaurant you will be introduced to the local farmer who will show you the tea terraces and the walking path. The farmers are extremely helpful and will share with you the different types of tea cultivated and the duration. Picking the leaves is an important part of the tea making process and you can watch workers picking out the best leaves.

Guests to the plantation are given the opportunity to gather their own leaves which are then taken back to the factory to make the final product. You can learn how to make your own cup using the different equipment at the factory. The tour ends with you taking a sample of the tea you made at the factory. Visitors to Chengdu can stay in greater China hotels and arrange for similar tours. Tourists will find a range of accommodation options when they look for hotels in China to stay at. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels China offers luxurious rooms along with all the amenities for a great price.

Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday.

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