A tea buyer asks: I saw a tea shop selling Qilai Mountain tea for only NT$800 per 600 g. Is this real? The owner claims it’s authentic Qilai Mountain tea and offers friendly pricing because they are tea farmers themselves. Is this true? I’d like to know what a reasonable price for Qilai Mountain tea should be.
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Reasonable Qilai Mountain Tea Price
The Qilai Mountain tea growing region is vast, and quality varies significantly across different tea gardens and seasons, with wholesale prices ranging from several hundred NTD to over NTD 2,000 per 600 g. Finding Qilai Mountain tea leaves for NTD 800 per 600 g is “not impossible,” but “unlikely.” As a relatively remote tea region, Qilai Mountain incurs high costs for fertilizer, labor, and tea factory construction, with production costs starting at NTD 650 per 600 g. Even if we assume a base cost of NTD 650, selling it for NTD 800 leaves you practically “working for free” with “zero profit,” especially considering packaging, shipping, and marketing expenses. Below are the retail prices for Qilai Mountain tea previously sold by Liao Chang Xing:
| Liao Chang Xing Qilai Tea Pricing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Price | ||
| Spring Tea | NT$3,000 per 600 g | ||
| Autumn Tea | NT$1,600 per 600 g | ||
| Winter Tea | NT$3,200~3,600 per 600 g | ||
| Tea Bags | Not offered | ||
Shop High-Quality Tea: Qilai Mountain Tea
Characteristics and Unique Qualities of Qilai Mountain Tea
Young Tea Bushes: Compared to established high mountain tea regions like Alishan and Lishan, Qilai Mountain’s tea bushes are mostly younger, meaning they have stronger nutrient absorption capacity and can fully take up fertilizers. Additionally, new tea bushes carry a distinct fresh-bush aroma. In recent years, our store manager has had a particular fondness for sourcing young-bush tea leaves specifically from Qilai Mountain.
Advanced Tea-Making Equipment: Taiwan’s tea factories have continuously invested in innovation in recent years, and several factories on Qilai Mountain have imported state-of-the-art equipment. Today, the standards of Qilai Mountain’s tea factories rank among the absolute top tier in Taiwan. It’s common for a single factory to invest upwards of NTD 20 million in equipment. These investments have led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of Qilai Mountain tea in recent years.
High-Altitude Alpine Environment: The Qilai Mountain tea region sits adjacent to Hehuanshan, reaching elevations of up to 2,060 meters with a deeply cold climate. Although frost damage was common in the past, advancements in freeze-protection techniques have turned the chilly climate and wide temperature fluctuations into assets for producing exceptional tea. Premium Qilai Mountain tea is characterized by low bitterness and high sweetness, easily rivaling Lishan tea.
Qilai Mountain Tea Pricing FAQ
Does Qilai Mountain actually produce tea? Are there photos of Qilai Mountain tea gardens?
Yes, absolutely! There are plenty of tea garden photos available. You can also check out this news report.
Do you sell Qilai Mountain tea bags? How much do they cost?
No, we don’t. We only sell loose-leaf tea. The best Qilai tea is always sold as loose leaves.
Is a wholesale price of NTD 800 possible?
It’s tough for retail, but entirely doable for wholesale. For lower-elevation Qilai summer or autumn teas, a wholesale price of NTD 800 per 600 g can be negotiated if you purchase 18 kg (30 jin) at a time.