▲ Lishan high mountain tea plantation in the Songmao Tribe.
If you drink tea, you likely already have some familiarity with high mountain tea. Generally speaking, the higher the altitude of the origin, the better the quality and the higher the price. Lishan high mountain tea starts at around 1,600 meters—an altitude difficult for other tea regions to reach—with wholesale prices for local teas starting around NT$1,600. Teas produced by the Lishan high mountain tea production cooperative between 1,700 and 2,100 meters wholesale for around NT$2,000 to NT$2,800. The highest-altitude Tianchi tea grows at roughly 2,500 meters, commanding NT$10,000 per 600 g, and even then, it can be hard to secure.
As for the NT$300 for 300 g option you mentioned, given the current realities of Lishan high mountain tea, it is unlikely to be genuine. At a retail price of NT$600 per 600 g, it wouldn’t even cover the cost of fertilizer. On the other hand, NT$1,500 for 150 g of Lishan high mountain tea is a reasonable price if it comes from an altitude above 2,000 meters, is meticulously crafted, and uses premium tea leaves. While altitude is one of the key factors in evaluating Lishan high mountain tea, it isn’t absolute. Variations in production methods and weather mean that a tea grown at 1,800 meters isn’t necessarily inferior to one grown at 2,000 meters. The best approach is always to taste the tea yourself and choose the one that suits your palate. You are also welcome to shop at Chang Xing Tea, where we offer Lishan high mountain tea across low, medium, and high altitudes.