UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tried his hand at making Tuocha in southwest China's Yunnan province. On the tea cake he helped make, he wrote: "This tea was the product of China-UN partnership.

Tuocha originated in Yunnan more than a century ago. In 1902, tea merchants in Xiaguan developed its distinctive bowl- or bird’s nest-shaped form, which improved airflow, made the tea easier to transport on the ancient Tea Horse Road, and helped it age well over time.