Since the past two to three decades, China has opened its door to the world at large. Tours to China have ceased to be the sole prerogative of the adventurous traveler but a mainstream choice with huge metropolis like Shanghai and unspoiled natural reserves like Jiuzaigou appealing to virtually the full spectrum of travelers.
Since the best tea tends to be grown in high mountainous areas that are also popular tourist attractions, it is increasingly common for visitors to China (and Taiwan) to come back with the local produce, including its teas.
But does going directly to the harvest area- for example Huangshan or Suzhou- guarantee you better quality tea at lower price?
Obviously since I sell tea, my perceived independence will be called into question since there’s an obvious vested interest. However the average reader is intelligent enough to evaluate the merits of my arguments and form his or her own opinion.
First the arguments for going directly to the harvest area:
Reduce the intermediaries in the sales process and the cost
Farmer/Producer> Local Wholesaler > Foreign Importer > Foreign Retailer > Consumer
Hence the logic is that by cutting out 3 different channels, the consumers reduces the markup at each stage and gets a lower price.
Farm Fresh Produce
A common marketing tactic for agricultural products shows dairy products or vegetables together with the lush green farms they were grown. Then there’s a slogan to the effect “fresh from the farm”.
There is a belief that going direct to the farm assures you of freshly produced tea that you can taste.
Location of Harvest
As mentioned on previous post, where the tea is grown has an impact on how it tastes and its value. A Longjing from Xihu will likely cost several times more than one from the rest of Zhejiang.
However many unscrupulous merchants would label Longjing from Zhejiang as Xihu Longjing and enjoy the higher prices.
Hence, it stands to reason that if you go to Meijiawu or Wengjiashan or Shifeng, you know you are buying local.
Or is that true?
Wholesale versus Retail
When I was younger, my mother used to buy crabs and cook at home all the time. These days, we usually only eat crabs outside. The reason is simple, most of the good crabs are snapped up by restaurants and other F&B outlets. We can understand the commercial justifications- a good crab vendor can steadily sell out their supply of crabs to a few loyal buyers who have volume. A very simplistic approach to selling, they can focus more of their efforts on sourcing or storing the crabs to ensure optimal profits.
Let’s bring this back to tea. Most of the better quality teas in China are handmade and production is limited. Of course it’s not THAT rare that you need to pay the sky for it, what it means is that the farmer is not going magically produce an extra 10 kg for sale when demanded by a visitor.
And tea- with certain exceptions- is perishable. Do you think a farmer is going to horde a huge quantity of their best teas waiting for tourists to drop by?
For the best known small farmers, they have ready buyers eagerly awaiting the freshly packed teas. For the top teas, they are snapped up within hours of production.
For larger producers, they have their own distribution channels, sometimes farmers’ co-operatives, sometimes regular retailers and some even own their retail outlets.
In short, no one is going to hold on to their best teas waiting on the off-chance a tourist might drop in and buy.
Okay, maybe not the best quality- how about cheaper?
Recurring Customers
Having said that, I can’t see myself going back to Santorini any time soon. Not when there are so many other places I have yet to explore.
I believe it’s not a stretch to say most travelers share the same mentality.
Don’t retailers know that?
No matter how enamored you are with Xihu and their Xihu Longjing, how often would you return to patronize the local tea sellers?
The motivation of them offering exemplary value for their products takes a significant hit.
At least you know you are getting authentic tea, right?
Tourist Related Scams
In Chi Zong Xian’s book Hangzhou Longjing published by Jimu Wenhua, he talks about a number of ways Xihu Longjing is faked.
Of particular note are 2 points:
i) Longjing from other parts of Zhejiang as well as other provinces of China are brought to the famous Longjing producing areas to be sold as ‘Xihu Longjing’
ii) Non-locals rent a significant number of spaces in Longjing village while selling their own teas
Indeed this is not restricted to Xihu. Famous tea author and instructor Lin Zhi has mentioned in his book “Hua Shou Da Hong Pao” about how the Wuyishan tea market is flooded with other Yanchas or even non-Wuyishan grown tea leaves masquerading as Da Hong Pao.
This is not to say that you are not going to get good tea at the local source, just a case for consideration on the commonly held adage that going directly to the farms gets you the best tea and the cheapest prices.
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