Why Are Some Chinese Teas So Expensive? What You're Really Paying For

Some Chinese teas cost many times more than others for a handful of real reasons: a tiny, famous place of origin (like the few original Da Hong Pao bushes or Junshan island); very early spring picking, when yields are lowest; bud-only harvests that need tens of thousands of buds per kilogram; skilled handwork; old trees; and, for pu-erh and white tea, years of careful storage. Competition awards, famous producers and branding add more. But price also reflects hype and scarcity games, and famous names are the most faked. A higher price doesn't guarantee a better cup, so taste before you pay.

It helps to separate the things that genuinely make tea costly to produce from the things that only make it costly to buy.

The real reasons tea gets expensive#

Famous examples#

• Da Hong Pao's mother bushes. Only a handful of original bushes grow on a cliff in Wuyi; harvesting them was stopped in 2006, and small amounts of their tea were sold at auction in earlier years. Almost all Da Hong Pao you can buy is from propagated bushes or blends, and that's fine. See Da Hong Pao.
• Junshan Yinzhen. A tiny island, one factory, a few tonnes a year. See Junshan Yinzhen.
• Pre-Qingming Longjing. Picked before Qingming (4–5 April), when the first buds appear; a Chinese saying calls early tea "a treasure for three days, then grass". See Longjing.
• Aged pu-erh. Someone bought young tea, stored it well for years or decades, and took the risk it wouldn't age well. See aging pu-erh.
• Da Yu Ling. Taiwan's highest gardens, some now closed. See Da Yu Ling.

Why aged pu-erh is expensive#

A buyer sees potential in a bitter young cake, buys the batch and watches it in storage for years. Every sheng softens with time, but only a few develop real depth, and storage can ruin a tea as easily as improve it. The price of old pu-erh pays for time, space, risk and rarity. It also attracts the most fakes: new tea in old wrappers, or wet-stored tea sold as naturally aged. See fake pu-erh.

The part that isn't about the tea#

• Names and stories. A famous name can multiply the price of similar leaf.
• Packaging. Luxury boxes cost money and add nothing to the cup.
• Hype and speculation. Some pu-erh has been traded like a commodity.
• Gift culture. In China, expensive tea is a traditional gift, which supports high-end prices.

Is expensive tea worth it?#

Sometimes. Good expensive tea usually shows:

• Clean, complex aroma and taste.
• Thick texture and a long aftertaste.
• Many steeps.
• Whole, supple spent leaves.

If a pricey tea doesn't show these, you're paying for the name. See how to judge tea quality.

How not to overpay#

1. Buy samples before full sizes: see tea samplers.
2. Taste side by side with a cheaper tea of the same type.
3. Ask for details: origin, harvest, producer, storage.
4. Be sceptical of stories that can't be checked.
5. Remember the sweet spot: for most teas, the jump from ordinary to good is huge; the jump from good to legendary is small and costly.

Myths#

"The most expensive tea is the best tea." It's the rarest or most famous, not necessarily the best for you.

"Cheap tea is always bad." Many humble teas, like Shou Mei or Shui Xian, are excellent.

"Old always means valuable." Only if the tea and storage were good.

Practical advice#

Spend on good, honest everyday tea first. Treat rare, famous teas as occasional experiences, bought in small amounts from sellers who can tell you exactly what they are. Your palate, not the label, decides what's worth it.

The bottom line#

Some Chinese teas are expensive because of tiny origins, early and bud-only harvests, handwork, old trees, altitude and years of aging; others because of names, awards and hype. Taste before you pay, and buy rare teas in small amounts. More in my guide to the types of Chinese tea.

Read next: China's Ten Famous Teas and How to Judge Tea Quality.