Netizen’s Question: In mid-April this year, I bought 600 g of Dayuling tea at a tea shop for NT$4,000. After bringing it home, I found online listings selling it for NT$850 per 600 g, and a shopping channel offering 1.8 kg for NT$2,600. Did I pay too much for Dayuling tea at NT$4,000?
Dayuling Tea Prices
Liao Chang Xing: Dayuling tea typically spans the 100 km to 105 km markers of the Central Cross-Island Highway. Because this tea-growing region is very small and yields are low, the price is naturally not cheap. Around the 100 km mark, the wholesale price alone is close to NT$3,000. After tea merchants purchase it, they still need to sort, stem, and package it. Selling it for NT$4,000 leaves very little room for profit. Therefore, for authentic Dayuling tea, NT$4,500 to NT$5,000 is a more reasonable price range. After all, tea merchants need to make a profit too.
The NT$4,000 Dayuling tea the netizen bought is indeed a reasonable price, but the harvest date might have been a bit early—Dayuling tea is usually harvested starting in May, so it’s best to ask carefully next time. As for the online listings at NT$850 and the shopping channel deal of 1.8 kg for NT$2,600, these are far below the origin wholesale price, so just take them with a grain of salt and don’t read too much into them. Next time you want to buy Dayuling tea and aren’t sure where to go, look for Dayuling 105K; they have a registered trademark, which lowers the risk of buying fakes. Their official standard price is NT$12,000 per 600 g.
2024 Update: Dayuling Tea Prices
The prices above reflect rates around 2010. Currently, there are only 3 tea plantations left in the Dayuling tea region, with a yield of only about 1.8 tons per season. Spring and winter tea wholesale prices range from NT$5,000 to NT$7,000 per 600 g, with retail market prices around NT$10,000.