Mynight, thanks for the helpful reply.

> I had a lot of Tie Guan Yin that tasted really good. Unfortunately,
> most of those flavors are unnatural additives. The "tea shoot" thing
> is mostly about green tea. What about Wulong?

The quality of Tieguanyin tends to increase with its durability. A top
Tieguanyin Wang can easily last 9 infusions, and still tastes honeyed,
not astringent and retaining a slight orchid fragrance. An experienced
taster (which I would say apply to many people participating in this
group) should have the confidence to tell the real from the fake.

> These teas are not only "unavailable" in the West; a great percentage
> of Chinese never even SEE these teas. They are carted away for the
> royality and the uber-rich. The best green teas do come from the
> small countryside places. Most famous teas, like Longjing, are
> guaranteed to be dirty. See above about quality vs. quantity.

A famous Chinese tea is not just about a Longjing tea or a Taiping
Houkui tea etc. It has specific meaning referring to exactly where it
is produced, and its grade (usually determined by the timing of the
harvest and the quality of leaves)

The 10 famous teas were coined in the 1950s. At that time, THE
Longjing tea refers to the Xihu Longjing tea, which then consisted of
only the Lion peak mountain (the original Xihu) and the surrounding
Mejiawu (later added).

Today, Longjing tea is produced all over China in 20 provinces.

Similarly, the original TPHK tea were produced in the 3 villages
around Hou Gan.

Today it is produced in the entire Yellow mountain area, plus all the
fakes.

As Mynight rightly pointed out, these truly authentic high grades are
seldom available. A top quality famous tea now sells at US$110 (per 50
grams) at Chinese street prices.

These teas wholesaled at $20+. They are seldom available in the West.
99% of tea vendors are not selling these high grades.

Yes, Longjing tea can be dirty. I have specific concerns with those
teas coming from Meijiawu. Not due to pesticides. But because of road
traffic.

But internet retailing is changing this, making authentic high grades
available at better prices.

For example, Sevencup currently sells their Tribute Longjing tea at
$75. We do it for half the price. These teas go directly to the
Chinese White House and get tested for regularly. So there is no
question about their quality. Imagine, Westerners paying less than
Chinese people. Is there a catch? It is the nature of internet
retailing.

I am sure as time goes by people would discover more high quality but
less famous tea to sell at more affordable price, delivering more
value to your money.

> Most Chinese can't see in the long term and it is part of their
> culture. What is acquired today can be taken away tomorrow by the CCP
> or anyone else with a little power.

Organic farming is a long term strategy. Misuse of chemical and
pesticides kill the yield of the tea garden. It poisons the water
sources and harms the worker health. .There is no conflict here. The
best tea gardens have every incentive to keep their tea as clean as
possible. It is in their best interests.

Authentic tea gardens have been farming teas for hundreds of years.
They existed even before China industrialised. They are not poor, they
tend to be prosperous farmers who command high premiums for their
teas. They know that customers come back to them because their teas
taste different from competitions.

I understand all your concerns about pesticides in tea. I agree with
many of your suggestions, especially tea testing and Taiwanese tea.
But I think there are many GREAT teas around, from China/Taiwan/India
etc, tasting good and highly organic. Call me an optimist, I think
there will be even more of them available in the future.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com