I found when I was browsing for tea in HK in December that the high
grade Dragonwell (Long Jing/Lung Jing) carried by the few shops I
visited was from Shifeng (Lion Peak) near the West Lake that all Long
Jing is supposed to come from. I was told it is a single farm but
either must be enormous or some sort of network qualifying as a brand
of sorts.

Ten Fu's network is now quite also large. A friend told me recently
that he was told by an employee in Sichuan that they have moved
largely into tea production and now own many of the farms that they
sell tea from. That might also qualify as a brand. When I lived in
China and could afford it, I mostly bought from them.

Note, Ten Fu is also known as Ten Ren and sometimes also as Tian Fu.

Regards,

Joel

> high grade Dragonwell (Long Jing/Lung Jing) carried by the few shops I
> visited was from Shifeng (Lion Peak) near the West Lake that all Long
> Jing is supposed to come from. *

That's right. But Shifeng is not a brand name; it's a mountain. When
Chinese associate a tea with such and such a mountain, or such and
such a village (Xiping Tieguanyin, for example), quality is associated
with a place, but not with a specific company's brand.


> Ten Fu's network is now quite also large.
Yes, Tian Fu would qualify as a Chinese brand. They're all over. But
how well-known are they in China?

That's the problem in China. Brands are not well-known. And most
people will associate a tea with a location; not with a company. It
may be a very very long time before tea brands in China are more
widely accepted.