Guizhou teas win top honors at 2026 Great Taste Awards

Guizhou Baichun Suntree Tea Plantation's green tea and crested ibis tea win honors at the 2026 Great Taste Awards. [Photo/Guanshanhu district media center]

The results of the 2026 Great Taste Awards from the United Kingdom have been announced, with two teas from Guizhou Baichun Suntree Tea Plantation earning top honors. Its green tea received a two-star award, while its crested ibis tea earned one star.

Founded in 1994, Great Taste is among the world's most influential food and beverage awards. The 2026 competition reached a record scale, with over 15,000 entries from 116 countries and regions.

Products were evaluated through a rigorous blind-tasting process by a panel of more than 800 experienced chefs, food critics, food retailers, and industry professionals. Entries were judged on taste, texture, aroma, overall balance, and other criteria, with the judging process lasting more than 105 days.

Since establishing its roots in 2005 in Guanshanhu district, Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, Guizhou Baichun Suntree Tea Plantation has adopted an eco-friendly cultivation approach, using zero chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or growth hormones.

The plantation uses homemade fermented bio-organic fertilizer to enrich the soil and has developed an environmentally friendly pest-control system combining ecological conservation with biological pest management.

It also carries out manual weeding across the entire tea-growing area seven to 10 times a year and follows a cultivation model of harvesting in one season and allowing the tea plants to rest and replenish their nutrients during the other three.

While focusing on product quality, the plantation has also contributed to rural vitalization by integrating tea production, culture, and tourism. It provides stable employment for more than 1,000 people each year and regularly organizes specialized training in agricultural skills, standardized operations, and the use of smart equipment, helping develop local agricultural talent.