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.

Very good review, and thanks for posting it. It’s nice to have the choice between loose and compressed pu’er. 🙂

I think that a lot of the pricing in the tea market comes basically from supply and demand. For example, White Peony is not really in high demand, but it is an excellent and delicious type of tea. Because there is not so much demand for it in the global market, and enough supply of that tea, it is possible to buy good quality White Peony at very reasonable prices. (On top of this, Tea Hong’s prices and selection for white teas are definitely better than average.)

Much of the market for Chinese tea also reflects the Chinese market as well. In this market, some premium types of green tea and oolong tea are regarded as “famous teas” and can fetch very high prices. Examples of such green teas are Longjing, Biluochun, and Huangshan Maofeng. In China, oolong teas from the Wuyi mountains are often quite expensive. However, in Taiwan, there is a different tradition of oolong teas, and certain “high mountain” varieties are the expensive ones. There are many myths and legends surrounding such famous teas, and there are always rich people willing to pay exorbitant prices for the very best quality of the most famous types.

The good thing about this system is that for those of us who are looking for value, there are many great choices among the lesser known teas. For example, white tea in general is quite affordable because there is less demand for it. Notice that the one white tea that is most expensive is also (and this should be no surprise) the most famous — Silver Needle. This is one of China’s famous teas.

The problem comes in for people who want some famous tea because that is all they know, but then pinch pennies and drink a very low quality version as a result. This is very unfortunate. If they had picked a lesser known type of tea, then they could be drinking an affordable tea of high quality. I think the Tea Hong approach is smart, because they only offer “famous teas” at good quality, so nobody is stuck with poor quality teas.

As an example, in China’s Zhejiang province, it is possible to buy a 100g bag of Longjing green tea for approximately $2 USD! Of course, that tea is horrible quality and is not even a pale shadow of what any decent Longjing tea tastes like. In the same store, in the same aisle, a high quality tin of Longjing may cost many times as much. At Tea Hong, 50g of good Longjing tea may be around $20, and since it is good quality of a famous tea (and sometimes a special variety), the consumer is getting a good value, and nobody is cheated. Now, if someone likes Longjing but can’t afford good quality Longjing as a daily drink, then there are other options like Silver Curls Spring, which is a very enjoyable tea with some similar qualities.

It seems like every few years I’ll try some iced tea, and when I do, I always have the same reaction… “Agghh, what is this? This doesn’t taste like tea at all!” Then I’ll either put it in my refrigerator and dump it out later, or grudgingly finish it. I also tried making iced tea from real oolong tea, but actually the results are not so different from store-bought iced tea. Basically, when the tea cools and sits around for awhile like that, the flavor changes completely. The original character is gone, and instead there is just something bland, bitter, and cold, that needs to be sweetened up with sugar to be palatable. 😉

Sorry if this seems to harsh, but I have not seen many redeeming qualities in iced tea. Even in the hot summer, I would prefer green tea, but just cooled down for a few minutes so it is milder and has a cooling effect on the body. In TCM terms, not every hot drink is warming, and even a warm drink may be able to have a cooling effect on the body.

Just to chime in a little bit, it has been my experience that pu’er holds up a little better than most teas to multiple infusions. But I haven’t had any teas that are still really great after around 5 infusions… I would say that a good pu’er can be used at least 3 times, and maybe as many as 6. It depends a lot on the strength of the tea, the amount of tea being used, how long the steeping time is.

Sometimes I read some advertisements for tea saying that some particular famous type of tea can be used a dozen times without losing its flavor. I don’t really believe that stuff. In the end, it’s still just tea. If someone does manage to get so many infusions out of a particular type of tea, they are probably using 3-4 times as many leaves as I use.

For example, if the pu’er tea is being brewed skillfully in a gongfu style with more leaves and a short infusion time, then naturally it will hold up for more infusions. If you are using fewer leaves, though, then you will have to let the tea steep for longer in order to get the same strength of the tea. This is why the gongfu method is not so magical — it requires more tea leaves and a shorter steeping time to get that extra tea. There is always a trade-off, and each type of tea has its own personality.