Mr. Chen from Taipei asked: He received a cold call selling tea, and the caller claimed that hand-picked LongFengXia tea was only NT$600 per 600 g. They said it was so cheap because it’s sold directly by tea farmers, cutting out the middlemen. Is it true that LongFengXia high mountain tea costs NT$600 per 600 g?
Liao Chang Xing Reply: Is It True That LongFengXia High Mountain Tea Costs NT$600 per 600 g?
Taking spring tea as an example, it takes 2.7 kg of tea leaves to make 600 g of finished tea. The hand-picking labor cost alone is about NT$70 per 600 g, making the picking cost for 2.7 kg of leaves around NT$315. Factor in fertilizers, tea master wages, gas and electricity, equipment depreciation, tea garden management, and land costs. A simple calculation shows that the production cost of LongFengXia high mountain tea is at least NT$650 per 600 g. And this is the most conservative estimate—better-managed orchards easily exceed NT$800 per 600 g. Therefore, from a cost perspective, NT$600 per 600 g for LongFengXia high mountain tea is virtually impossible.
What about the cheaper summer and autumn teas? The chances are still slim because labor, gas, and electricity costs remain just as high. Even if summer and autumn teas use less fertilizer, the production cost still hits NT$500 to NT$600 per 600 g. Selling it to consumers at NT$600 when it costs NT$600 to make would mean working entirely for nothing, and no tea farmer would do that.
Where Does Hand-Picked Tea at NT$600 per 600 g Come From?
In the current market of Taiwanese tea, hand-picked tea at NT$600 per 600 g is unlikely even for low-elevation teas. Just the labor cost for tea picking alone is about NT$300, and with other expenses added, making a profit is very difficult. Tea priced at NT$600 is much more likely to be machine-harvested or blended with foreign tea.
To add one final point: the retail price for LongFengXia high mountain spring and winter tea is generally above NT$2,500, and even the more affordable summer and autumn teas retail for over NT$1,500. LongFengXia is a star tea region for Taiwanese high mountain tea, beloved even by overseas tea enthusiasts, and it would never stoop to being sold through NT$600 per 600 g cold calls.