19 tea-buying lessons from the experts

Everyone wants to buy good tea, but what exactly is good tea? As the saying goes, there are a thousand flavours of tea, and those that suit the palate are precious. All expert opinions are just a reference, and it is important to know that the tea that really suits you is the good tea.

01.What is the first criteria for buying tea?

The quality of tea is ultimately tested by the mouth, so buy a tea that is to your taste. It can be said that good taste is the prerequisite and the first criterion for buying tea.

First of all, we have to determine the category of tea we are buying, and then judge the quality of the tea from four aspects: colour, aroma, taste and shape, and choose the tea that suits us.

However, many people do not have the expertise to review tea leaves. Generally speaking, a good tea usually tastes crisp, is not bitter and has a lasting aroma. With such simple criteria for buying tea, selecting tea is not so difficult.

02. Can I buy local tea during the trip?

Try not to buy tea recommended by your tour guide. Most of these teas are of poor quality and have inflated prices.

If the tea is fried on site, the packaging is not well sealed and the tea will not last long before it spoils.

Never buy tea from unknown sources for the sake of cheap.

For example, tea from roadside stalls and tea from pick-up stalls have no guarantee of quality and if the tea is contaminated, you will not be able to tell with the naked eye.

If the tea is contaminated, you will not be able to see it with the naked eye. Tea that is well packaged and carries the QS mark is guaranteed to be of good quality.

03 How to identify sub-standard tea?

Inferior tea is often characterised by green tea with red stalks and red leaves, black tea with some green on the leaf surface, unnatural tea colour, smoke, burnt smell, mouldy smell or other odours, containing miscellaneous substances, chaotic tea broth, etc.

In addition, tea leaves that are inferior are often more bitter and astringent after brewing.

04 Is the more expensive tea better?

The quality of tea leaves is not necessarily related to the price.

Generally speaking, the more expensive a tea is, the higher the quality and grade.

The overall price of tea each year is influenced by market supply and demand, in addition to artificial commercial speculation, cost and other factors that can also affect the price of tea.

Therefore, we cannot judge the quality of tea leaves solely on the basis of the price of tea leaves.

05 Why should a novice not buy tea from a tea town?

Novices are not very good at discerning the quality of tea leaves.

If you go to a tea town to buy tea, the tea shop owner will usually take the cheapest and least tasty tea to you first.

Test you first to see if you will drink it. If he can see that you can't drink and don't know tea, he will describe the low grade tea as high grade tea and then sell it to you at a high price.

If he can see that you know how to drink tea, and know that you know tea, then he will bring out the good tea leaves, and the price will be negotiable. Therefore, it is not advisable for newbies to buy tea from a tea shop.

06 Can I buy tea from supermarkets?

As long as the tea in supermarkets is well packaged and carries the QS logo, you can buy it with confidence.

When buying, you should also check the production date and shelf life of the tea to prevent buying expired tea.

Usually, supermarkets sell low to medium grade tea, so if you want to buy high grade tea, you should not buy it in supermarkets.

07 How do I recognise a coloured tea?

Coloured tea is artificially coloured and is usually uneven and unnatural.

A simple way to identify coloured tea is to take a clean piece of white paper and rub the tea leaves gently against it to see if the paper is immediately coloured.

If the white paper is immediately coloured, you can tell that the tea is a coloured tea.

You can also tell by looking at the tea broth. If the tea leaves are cloudy after brewing and there is pigmentation at the bottom, it is a coloured tea.

08 Must I choose tea from the country of origin?

The quality and characteristics of tea leaves are largely related to local geography, climate, variety and other factors. Non-origin teas are inferior in all aspects such as quality, taste and texture.?

Therefore the quality of origin tea is more guaranteed.

Buying tea of origin will prevent you from buying counterfeit, inferior tea.

Many of our teas have applied for origin protection such as Xihu Longjing Biluochun, Anxi Tieguanyin, Qimen Red Tea, etc. When buying tea, be sure to look out for the QS mark and geographical indication on the outer packaging.

09 Do I need to buy brand name tea?

Branded tea is reliable but expensive, compared to loose tea, which is more affordable but of varying quality.

For the novice, it is difficult to grasp the quality of tea, so it is better to buy branded tea to ensure the quality of tea.

If you have the means to buy, you can also choose brand name tea. People who know tea and are regular tea drinkers tend to seek high quality tea, so they are more inclined to buy brand name tea.

10 Why do you always buy tea from one tea shop?

If you always go to the same tea shop, you will be more aware of the fluctuations in tea prices.

If you buy tea from the same tea shop frequently, you will be able to get new and good tea at a reasonable price as you become a regular customer.

11 Is buying tea online reliable?

It is possible to buy tea online, but you have to be able to buy it.

There are many shops selling tea on the internet, try to look at as many shops as possible to find out the approximate price of the tea you want to buy.

Any tea below this price is either of poor quality or of unknown origin and should be purchased with caution.

12 How to avoid "three no's" tea?

The "three no's" may be expired or toxic tea, which may pose a huge safety hazard.

When buying tea, it is important to pay attention to the date of production, the quality inspection certificate, and the name and address of the manufacturer on the outer packaging.

In addition, buy tea through regular sales channels and do not buy loose tea or tea from unknown sources in order to minimise the risk of buying "three no's".

13 Is it best to buy tea from tea-producing regions?

The quality of tea from tea-producing regions is guaranteed.

For regular tea drinkers, buying tea from tea producing areas is a good choice.

When you buy tea more often, sometimes you can make a phone call and the tea will be sent to you, so you don't have to make the trip yourself.

14 What are the "Three Keys" to selecting tea?

The "three essentials" of tea selection are:

Firstly, look.

Look at the appearance and shape of the tea, the colour of the tea broth and the leaf base.

Look at the colour, texture, uniformity, tightness, and the presence of hairs in the tea soup, and see if the leaves are clear and bright, and whether the bottom of the leaves are tender, even and complete, and whether there are any flowers, burnt spots, red tendons, red stalks, etc.

Secondly, smell.

Smell the aroma of the dry tea and see if there is any odour.

After brewing, smell the fragrance of the tea while it is still hot. The aroma of tea has different aromas such as sweet aroma, fire aroma, clear aroma, flower aroma, chestnut aroma and fruit aroma. After the temperature of the tea broth has decreased, smell the aroma on the tea lid or at the bottom of the cup.

Third, taste.

That is, the taste of tea soup.

The taste of tea is strong, fresh, sweet, thick, mellow or bitter, thin or raw.

15 How to choose tea for those who have no experience in buying tea?

For those who have no experience in buying tea, there is a simple and easy way to choose tea - the one-brew method, as follows:

Take an appropriate amount of tea leaves and brew it in hot water. After 5-10 minutes, taste the tea soup to see if it meets your taste.

Take a spoon and look at the colour of the soup. If it is cloudy, the tea is not green enough; if it is light, the tea leaves are not young enough to be picked and fermented. If the leaves are burnt and cracked, they have been over-fried. A good tea broth has a bright and thick colour.

Smell the tea broth, the aroma of good tea remains even if the tea broth cools down. When brewing, cast less leaves, brew more water and steep longer so that the strengths and weaknesses of the tea leaves are fully revealed.

If the aroma is high and full, the taste is rich, not bitter and astringent, the sweetness is good, and the price is right, then what are you hesitating for, get started!

16 What makes a good tea broth?

Different types of tea have different colours and taste characteristics, but a good tea broth is bright and transparent.

For example, the tea broth of a good green tea should be light green or yellow-green, clear and bright, with a fresh taste and a strong, mellow aftertaste, and a luscious mouth; the tea broth of a good black tea should be red and bright, with a thick, strong, fresh taste; the tea broth of a good oolong tea should be green and brown, with a rich taste and strong aroma.

17 What are the ways of smelling tea?

There are three ways of smelling tea: firstly, dry smelling, secondly, hot smelling and thirdly, cold smelling.

Dry sniffing is to smell the aroma of dry tea, to identify whether there is a stale, mouldy smell or other odours that have been absorbed.

Hot sniffing refers to smelling the aroma of the tea while it is still hot after steeping. A good quality tea has a pure and refreshing aroma. If the aroma of the tea leaves is weak or has no aroma at all or even a bad smell, it is not a good tea.

Cold sniffing refers to using hot water to brew the tea leaves, and then sniffing the tea lid or the bottom of the cup after the temperature has been lowered, when you can smell the other scents that were covered up by the large amount of tea aromas evaporated at high temperatures.

18 How can I tell if the tea is dry?

To see if the tea leaves are dry, you can use your fingers to squeeze them lightly. If the tea leaves will crumble, it means that the tea leaves are well dried. If the tea leaves do not crumble easily even if you squeeze them hard, it means that the tea leaves have been softened by moisture and the quality of the tea leaves will be affected.

19 What is the ultimate requirement for buying tea?

The ultimate requirement for buying tea is in two aspects:

The first is to match your own taste.

The quality of tea is not determined by personal evaluation, but the tea that suits you is the one you need.

People with a lighter taste buy West Lake Longjing tea to drink, naturally they will not be used to its freshness and mellowness.

Secondly, it should be suitable for your own body constitution.

It is important to choose a tea that suits your body's constitution. Green tea is cold in nature and is more suitable for people with a hot constitution and a strong stomach fire.

Oolong tea is calm and can be drunk by people with bloated stomachs and indigestion. Black tea is warm in nature and is suitable for people with a cold body and a weak body.