> 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.

This is also marketing. If a tea does or does not yield a huge amount
of brewings, it can have a lot to do with weather conditions or how
they cooked the tea. Most of the TieGuanYin I have drank, and I've
bought some top grade in the past, did hold up for many brewings,
maybe upwards to 10 or 11, but I think it says little about the
pollution levels or the quality of the tea. The crappy red tea I am
drinking from Yixing can brew 15 times without tasting like an old
sock. The general grade TGY has about 3 or 4 brewings in it before
all of the spray-on flavor washes off.

The main thing about this tea that bothers me is what was told to me
by a local of GanDe county in AnXi. He said something like, "Twenty
years ago, the tea tasted nothing like it does today. Most older
locals here won't even drink it."

Wonder why that is...

> 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)

It's grade depends more highly upon weather conditions and the growing
process. They do pick greens early in the spring, and the first pick,
as with all teas, is always the best. Geography is also important in
a tea's quality.

> 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).

You mean Shi Feng. There are slight differences between Xihu and
ShiFeng.

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

Yes, indeed. Most people drink Longjing that comes from Sichuan and
they don't even realize it. Vendors early as 10 years ago began to
investigate other options in buying raw stock leaves for their
factories because of the insane prices that the farmers in Hangzhou
offer. You ever seen a Chinese farmer with a car and a 3-storey
house? Go to XiHu village.

> 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.

I think I drank some of this tea that was produced in Hubei once.


> 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.

Uh, either you were cheated or you are in a different China than I
am. I paid more than 100 bucks a few times for 500g of the tea that
you mention from trusted, personal friends and sources. Such a high
price for 50g could only be found in TianFu (TenRen) or similar chains
where everything is insanely overpriced anyway.

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

To be honest, I have never been impressed by teas that I tried from
the net. I would usually go to hang out with a basic understanding of
tea that paid top dollar for their stuff. I've had teas in
cornershops here that were better...

> 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.

Tribute Longjing means what exactly? Westerners paying less than
Chinese people...you must be joking. This only happens here if you
ask someone to go buy the tea for you or if your best friend is in
tea. I hope you can develop better marketing in the future.

> 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.

In our dreams...

> 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.

Misuse of chemical and pesticides increases yield, thus allowing more
tea to be produced. I think most tea gardens have figured out how to
keep a balance by now, don't you?

> 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.

I repeat what I said befo THERE IS NO ORGANIC TEA IN CHINA.

That's all. I am not a pessimist, only a realist.