On the heels of economic reform, the mainland has been pushing hard to increase its foreign exchange, and so the Pu'er tea grown in Yunnan, where most production is centered, has gradually become familiar to Westerners. Tuo tea, a variety of Pu'er whose cakes are shaped like bowls, won gold medals two years running in contests held in Spain and Germany.
大陸經濟開放後，在全力加速外銷的風氣下，身為雲南外銷大宗的普洱茶逐漸為西方人熟悉，普洱茶中的沱茶（碗型）還在一九八六和八七年，分別在西班牙和德國連續獲得第九、十兩屆的「世界食品節白玉金冠獎」。