As I mentioned before, the annual yield of Dayuling tea from the 100K to 103K marks is only about 5,000 kg (combining spring and winter harvests). With everyone scrambling to get their hands on it, demand far exceeds supply, which naturally leads to a flood of counterfeits. Everyone already knows the tricks tea merchants pull—passing off other teas as Dayuling, or blending in just a tiny fraction of real Dayuling. Today, the store manager is going to spill some inside gossip about “fake Dayuling tea” straight from the tea factories.
The Scoop on Fake Dayuling Tea
Long ago, rumors circulated among tea merchants that a few Dayuling factories had “abnormally abundant” inventories. Not only were they shipping massive quantities to mainland China, but they also had stock left over to sell to other merchants—volumes that simply didn’t add up against estimated production. Of course, only the farm owners knew the actual yields versus sales, so everyone just kept their suspicions to themselves. Years later, one of those farm owners was accused by a client of selling more than four times the reasonable annual yield, and the whole scandal finally came to light.
This incident was even covered by Apple Daily, and you can easily Google it—it caused quite a stir back then. Shortly afterward, Dayuling tea plantations were progressively cleared out, and the matter eventually fizzled out without a clear resolution.
The story above is from rumors 10 years ago. If they were true, it means fake tea was being made right at the very source. Ten years ago, the total production of Dayuling tea was several thousand kilograms, but now it’s down to less than a tenth of that. The proportion of counterfeits on the market today is bound to be even higher.
Finally, to answer everyone’s burning question: “What is a reasonable price for Dayuling tea nowadays?” The wholesale price the manager was quoted recently ranges from NT$5,000 to NT$6,800 per 600 g, depending on the altitude. Retail prices generally run from NT$8,000 to NT$11,000 per 600 g, and some sold in 150 g packages go for even higher unit prices. As a side note, the retail price in mainland China hits a staggering RMB 10,000.
Note: The photo is from the Dayuling 104K tea garden 10 years ago. It was the highest-altitude Dayuling tea garden and the best quality the store manager had ever purchased. It has since been cleared.
P.S. 1: If you think “everyone is scrambling to buy it” sounds exaggerated, you’re underestimating the power of the name “Dayuling tea.” We’ve received inquiries from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Europe, the US, Australia, Singapore, and the store manager even heard from a tea lover in Africa!