Great tips and advice for buying tea in China

Hello,

As a tea enthusiast, I’m a bit frustrated that I can’t find anything on this topic in the forum.

I’m familiar with the concept of Chinese tea shops where you can stay a while and sample, but are there any travelers here who have experience or tips to share for finding, buying, and bringing back good tea at fair prices? Tourist traps to avoid, expected level of negotiation, good/bad spots (for tea and maybe even equipment), reasonable prices, visiting gardens independently, etc.

Just to clarify: my budget is limited. I usually spend between 10 and 15 € per 100g on Chinese websites.

For my part, I’d love a closer look at these areas:

Hangzhou and the entire West Lake area for Longjing and maybe Anji bai cha Huangshan and Tangkou for Huangshan mao feng and Qimen/Keemun. Wuyi for yan cha (oolong rock teas) and jin jun mei Xiamen and Anxi for Tie guan yin and white teas (Yin zhen, Bai mu dan, and Shou mei) Shanghai for… everything!

Thanks.

Hi,

This is just a little anecdote, but during my trip to China—way back in 1986—I still remember the tea that was routinely offered in every Chinese hotel, especially in Yunnan. It was a dreadful herbal brew, basically hot water with a bunch of twigs floating in it! !

Dear Faiyech, thank you for the invitation to share my thoughts on this topic. I can't help but say that you describe the type and origin of Chinese tea better than I could. Actually, I should have done some research beforehand to cover these aspects more thoroughly. Thanks for appreciating our tea. I’m really drawn to coffee and drink it regularly in my daily life. I get the chance to enjoy tea when visiting friends or during business meetings. Hosts often offer me different types of tea, and every time, I’m impressed by their incredible flavor and how they refresh the mind. That feeling of freshness from tea is quite different from what I get with coffee. It has nothing to do with British tea or tea from other countries. When it comes to tea, as you so rightly said, you need in-depth knowledge to distinguish a good, fresh, high-quality tea. In China, there’s an incredible variety of teas. You’ve got red tea, black tea, white tea, light teas, strong teas, semi-fermented teas, and fully fermented teas. Some teas are best enjoyed fresh, while others improve with age and are better after being stored for several years. When I decide to buy tea, I prefer going to a large store and choosing a well-known brand. That way, I’m more confident I’ll find a quality product.