In China, food quality and tea quality are quite important. High quality is not only viewed as healthier (and often rightly so), but is also a status symbol. Seeing someone drink low quality tea when they can afford good quality, is viewed as a bad thing for that person. It’s a sign that they are cheap, or don’t know how to recognize good things, or how to take care of themselves. That may sound harsh, but it’s basically true. When I first tried Chinese tea, I bought some cheap stuff, and I didn’t really know what I was buying. When others saw it in our office, I was promptly told that I should buy better tea.
For all their wealth, the U.S. and U.K. actually have cultures that encourage thrift, and getting a good deal for the money (good value). That means that people tend toward the cheap side, and will often settle for low quality even when they can easily afford better. I say that too as an American, because I definitely see this in our culture. Even though we are living in the “first world,” in some ways our mindset is very different. People have become so accustomed to low quality tea bags, that they don’t even know that high quality tea exists, or why anyone would want to spend some extra money for better quality.
