[Tea Lover’s Inquiry] I bought 600 g of Alishan tea from a tea shop for NT$3,200, but later saw hand-picked Alishan tea on a shopping channel for 1.8 kg (3 jin) at NT$1,300, and even cheaper options online at NT$400 per 600 g. Did I overpay? What is a reasonable price for Alishan tea?
Chang Hsing’s Response:
There is no such thing as a fair price for tea—only whether you like it or not. The same goes for Alishan tea. Whether NT$3,200 per 600 g for Alishan tea is reasonable depends on its processing method, tea region, and season. If it is hand-picked from altitudes above 1,600 meters during the spring or winter and crafted with rigorous standards, that price is quite reasonable.
Most Alishan tea is grown in high-altitude mountains, resulting in a much lower yield than tea from lowland areas. Factoring in fertilizer costs and tea-picker wages, the production cost for hand-picked tea is around NT$700 per 600 g. When you add packaging, shipping, producer margins, and the tea merchant’s profit, hand-picked Alishan tea most commonly sells between NT$1,200 and NT$3,000 per 600 g. If the selling price is below NT$700, you’ll want to verify the source, because production costs alone are already around that level, leaving no room for profit once it changes hands.
Since the market contains quite a bit of imported foreign tea, if you’re worried about buying counterfeit Alishan tea, you can head up the mountain to buy directly from local farmers, or contact the Alishan Township Farmers’ Association or Meishan Township Farmers’ Association. Definitely avoid tea with unknown origins and suspiciously low prices.