What is the average price of Jin Xuan? What about Oriental Beauty? Should I be buying in bulk?? Taiwan offers an eclectic and flavorful lineup of oolongs that goes far beyond their wonderful but pricy high-mountain collection. Though the western world remains a distant minority in Taiwanese oolong consumption, in recent years the amount of western-facing vendors has quietly and quickly multiplied. This can likely be attributed to increasing demand, the ever-increasing size of the internet and Taiwan’s close political and economic connections with the west. With a suddenly large pool of online vendors sourcing or shipping from Taiwan, western consumers have an opportunity to make decisions and choices not previously available. Now…let’s go shopping!



Low-elevation Taiwanese oolong is a far less as a descriptive term than high-mountain Taiwanese oolong, specifically in regards to quality.

Assuming total vendor honesty (a somewhat dubious assumption) you can figure out a great deal about high-mountain tea by looking at a couple simple elements. Elevation/mountain (Higher elevation tea costs more, Lishan > Shan Li Xi > Alishan in price), cultivar (Chin-hsin), freshness/season (Spring/Winter), hand-picked, and vendor reputation are several strong indicators of quality that can allow you to pick a high-mountain tea for a reasonable price. In other words you can get at least get an idea of the quality from this list of qualities without having ever tasted the tea. For lower-elevation tea these same general rules are not totally useless but are far less useful.

Low-elevation tea quality has a much higher rate of variability of simply general quality than it’s higher-elevation cousins. In other words you can drink very good Taiwanese Baozhong and you can also drink very bad Taiwanese Baozhong both of which may look more or less the same on paper. Cultivar and freshness are also not nearly as telling for many lower-elevation teas. Oriental Beauty and Baozhong both have a number of perfectly good cultivars that are simply different and not necessarily superior. Adding further complication, other teas can be more desirable aged rather than fresh (Muzha Tieguanyin, roasted Dong-ding/Baozhong).

The Cost of Taiwanese Tea at less than 1000 meters

Like the price of high-mountain tea comparison we distinguish between a sample size of 0.5 – 2 oz. and the larger 2.1 – 5.3 oz. focusing specifically Taiwanese specialized vendors. This eliminates generalists (Red Blossom, Hou de Asian) and ebay vendors (zen8tea, Teahome). I’ve included tables with generalists and ebay vendors at the bottom of the article if you’d like to compare prices. This is merely meant to be a data analysis and not a holistic shopping guide. It should be noted that it is my hope that people will not simply use this data to find the cheapest price as I think they will miss out on some very unique and incredible teas.

Low-Elevation (can be premium) Teas

This section includes Dong Ding, Baozhong, Oriental Beauty, and Tieguanyin. At the top-end, these four teas are premium teas and can be just as sought after as high-mountain tea. They are also incredibly diverse and compose an interesting and eclectic selection of Taiwanese tea.

Dong-ding (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $10.00 1 $10.00 1 Origin Tea $5.44 1.33 $4.09 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $5.00 0.88 $5.68 2 Naive Tea $22.00 2 $11.00 1 Mountain Tea $8.50 2 $4.25 2

Dong-ding (2.1-5.3 oz) Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $36.00 4 $9.00 $10.00 11.11% 1 Origin Tea $10.88 2.64 $4.12 $4.09 0.00% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $28.50 5.3 $5.38 $5.68 5.63% 2 Naive Tea $40.00 4 $10.00 $11.00 10.00% 1 Mountain Tea $16.50 5 $3.30 $4.50 36.36% 2 Tea From Taiwan $24.00 2.64 $9.09 N/A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $7.00

: $7.00 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 5

: 5 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $6.81

: $6.81 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz : 6

: 6 ** NOTE **: This data includes roasted and non-fragrant Dong Ding tea.

Dong Ding is a mid-elevation tea. The Dong Ding region comes in just under the cut-off for high-elevation tea at 700-1000 meters. Dong Ding bears a lower cost than higher mountain oolong tea (Alishan @ $11.29) and follows a similarly, straightforward pricing scheme based largely on the growing region/elevation. Mountain Tea offers the most affordable option at $4.25/oz with an additional 36% discount for buying 5 ounces of tea. They also have two options, both affordable. Excluding Mountain Tea’s inexpensive offering the average price of Dong Ding goes up to $7.69/oz at the sample size and $7.52/oz for the larger size. Vendor’s Dong Ding selection seem to be starkly divided on pricing with the cheaper end/daily drinker Mountain Tea/Origin Tea/Taiwan Tea Crafts (avg. $4.27/oz, 2.1-5.3 oz) being considerably cheaper than the more expensive Dong Ding sold at Floating Leaves/Naive Tea/Tea from Taiwan (avg. $9.36/oz, close to high-mountain territory).

Baozhong (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $12.00 1 $12.00 3 Origin Tea $7.35 1.33 $5.53 1 Teamasters $8.50 0.71 $11.97 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $5.50 0.88 $6.25 2 Naive Tea $12.00 1 $12.00 1

Baozhong (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $44.50 5 $8.90 $12.00 34.83% 3 Origin Tea $14.70 2.64 $5.57 $5.53 0.00% 1 Teamasters $31.00 3.5 $8.86 $11.97 35.15% 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $31.35 5.3 $5.92 $6.25 5.66% 2 Naive Tea $41.00 4 $10.25 $12.00 17.07% 1 Tea From Taiwan $11.00 2.64 $4.17 N /A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $9.55

: $9.55 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 5

: 5 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $7.28

: $7.28 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz : 6

: 6 ** NOTE **: Baozhong is made with a number of different cultivars. This can partially be used to explain price differentials between budget and high-end Baozhong. Read more about the different cultivars in our Taiwanese cultivar guide.

Baozhong is an example of a low-elevation tea that can either be very good and priced accordingly (Floating Leaves/Teamasters, $12+/oz) or a cheap, budget green oolong (Tea from Taiwan, $4.17/oz). As a result the price has a ton of variance vendor to vendor and the price data is fairly useless unless you are shopping for a budget option. One interesting point, vendors with the highest Baozhong prices (Floating Leaves, Teamasters, and Naive Tea) also offer the most significant discounts for buying in bulk.

Oriental Beauty (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $7.50 1 $7.50 1 Origin Tea $9.35 1.33 $7.03 1 Teamasters $20.75 0.88 $23.58 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $6.75 0.88 $7.67 1 Naive Tea $22.00 1 $22.00 1 Mountain Tea $11.00 2 $5.50 1

Oriental Beauty (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $27.00 4 $6.75 $7.50 11.11% 1 Origin Tea $18.70 2.64 $7.08 $7.03 0.00% 1 Teamasters $102.50 5.3 $19.34 $23.58 21.93% 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $38.48 5.3 $7.26 $7.67 5.64% 1 Naive Tea $72.00 4 $18.00 $22.00 22.22% 1 Mountain Tea $21.00 4 $5.25 $5.50 4.76% 1 Tea From Taiwan $27.00 2.64 $10.23 N/A N/A 1 T-Oolong $17.99 2.64 $6.81 N/A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $12.21

: $12.21 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 6

: 6 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $10.09

: $10.09 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz : 8

: 8 ** NOTE **: Like Baozhong, Oriental Beauty is made with a number of different cultivars. This can partially be used to explain price differentials between standard-priced and high-end Oriental Beauty. Read more about the different cultivars in our Taiwanese cultivar guide.

Oriental Beauty is substantially more expensive than all other lower-elevation teas and ranks firmly in the high-mountain range of pricing (more expensive than Alishan, slightly less expensive than Shan Li Xi). This can be attributed to it’s specific processing method and unusual summer harvest time. What also becomes clear is that there is a clear polarization in pricing for Oriental Beauty (something not as present in high-mountain tea). There are comparatively affordable options between $5.50-7.50/oz (Floating Leaves, Taiwan Tea Crafts,Origin Tea, Mountain Tea, T-Oolong) and the uber-premium Oriental Beauty at $10-21/oz (Teamasters, Naive Tea, Tea from Taiwan). Interestingly comparing Baozhong to Oriental Beauty the only two vendors to cross the premium line are Floating Leaves and Tea from Taiwan. This can be largely attributed to vendor specialty (Shiuwen Tai of Floating Leaves specializes in Baozhong and regards Oriental Beauty as a more casual tea).

Tieguanyin (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $11.25 1 $11.25 2 Origin Tea $10.02 1.33 $7.53 1 Teamasters $11.00 0.88 $12.50 1 Naive Tea $22.00 2 $11.00 1 Mountain Tea $8.50 2 $4.25 2

Tieguanyin (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $43.88 5 $8.78 $11.25 28.19% 2 Origin Tea $20.04 2.64 $7.59 $7.53 0.00% 1 Teamasters $35.00 3.53 $9.92 $12.50 26.07% 1 Naive Tea $40.00 4 $10.00 $11.00 10.00% 1 Mountain Tea $16.50 5 $3.30 $4.25 28.79% 2 T-Oolong $16.49 2.64 $6.25 N/A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $9.31

: $9.31 # Vendors , 0.5-2 oz: 5

, 0.5-2 oz: 5 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $7.64

: $7.64 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz : 6

: 6 ** NOTE **: This data only includes Muzha Tieguanyin.

Tieguanyin is one of most expensive tea cultivars to purchase (more expensive than Chin-hsin commonly used for high-mountain oolong) and also has an extremely slow growth rate. Both these attributes help to push it towards a more premium and expensive price despite its status as a low-elevation tea. The prices are more uniform than Baozhong and Oriental Beauty, with Origin Tea being priced well below average and Mountain Tea again being stupidly cheap (without Mountain Tea, the averages are $10.57/oz and $8.51/oz respectively).

Daily Drinkers

Daily drinker is a more polite way of saying a cheap, budget tea. These teas are almost never premium, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be consumed.

Jin Xuan (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $4.50 1 $4.50 1 Origin Tea $6.35 1.33 $4.77 1 Teamasters $5.00 0.88 $5.68 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $5.06 0.88 $5.75 4 Mountain Tea $7.00 2 $3.50 1

Jin Xuan (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $16.00 4 $4.00 $4.50 12.50% 1 Origin Tea $12.70 2.64 $4.81 $4.77 0.00% 1 Teamasters $19.50 5.3 $3.68 $5.68 60.26% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $28.84 5.3 $5.44 $5.75 5.67% 4 Naive Tea $30.00 4 $7.50 $9.00 20.00% 1 Mountain Tea $13.00 5 $2.60 $3.50 34.62% 1 Tea From Taiwan $12.00 2.64 $4.55 N/A N/A 3 T-Oolong $11.66 2.64 $4.42 N/A N/A 3

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $4.84

: $4.84 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 5

: 5 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $4.62

: $4.62 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz: 8

Ahhh.. We’ve clearly moved into budget territory. With prices well below half of many high-mountain teas, you will not be breaking the bank to buy Jin Xuan. While there are such things as high-mountain Jin Xuan it’s nearly always considered a cheap tea (admittedly it is a pretty good intro tea). The only vendors that seem to try to get premium Jin Xuan are Stephane at Teamasters (who offers a great bulk discount) and Naive Tea, both of which are counteracted by another inexpensive Mountain Tea offering.

Cui Yu (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Teamasters $6.00 0.88 $6.82 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $4.00 0.88 $4.55 1 Mountain Tea $7.00 2 $3.50 1

Cui Yu (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Teamasters $24.50 5.3 $4.62 $6.82 47.53% 1 Mountain Tea $13.00 5 $2.60 $3.50 34.62% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $22.80 5.3 $4.30 $4.55 5.77% 1 T-Oolong $7.99 2.64 $3.03 N/A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $4.95

: $4.95 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 3

: 3 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $3.64

: $3.64 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz: 4

Not a very popular tea in the west, Cui Yu is priced very similarly as Jin Xuan.

Si-ji (0.5-2 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz # Offerings Floating Leaves $4.50 1 $4.50 1 Teamasters $7.00 0.88 $7.95 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $3.75 0.88 $4.26 3 Mountain Tea $6.00 2 $3.00 1

Si-ji (2.1-5.3 oz)

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $16.00 4 $4.00 $4.50 12.50% 1 Teamasters $22.00 3.5 $6.29 $7.95 26.48% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $21.37 5.3 $4.03 $4.25 5.40% 3 Mountain Tea $11.00 5 $2.20 $3.00 36.36% 1 Tea From Taiwan $13.00 2.64 $4.92 N/A N/A 1 T-Oolong $10.99 5.3 $2.07 N/A N/A 1

Average Price, 0.5-2 oz : $4.93

: $4.93 # Vendors, 0.5-2 oz : 4

: 4 Average Price, 2.1-5.3 oz : $3.92

: $3.92 # Vendors, 2.1-5.3 oz : 6

: 6 ** NOTE **: It should be noted that Si-ji from Teamasters was a Dong Pian Winter Harvest tea (a rare, exceptionally fragrant offering) and is priced accordingly. It has since sold out.

While Si-ji (Four Seasons) is not as popular as Jin Xuan in the western world yet, it’s beginning to get a fair amount of traction as a budget alternative. Jin Xuan, Cui Yu, and Si-ji all are grown at lower-elevations, have similar grow rates, and nearly identical pricing.

The Price of Tea

Average Cost of Tea Types

Tea Cost, 0.5-2 oz. Cost, 2.1-5.3 oz. % Discount Dong Ding $7.00 $6.81 2.79% Baozhong $9.55 $7.28 31.18% Oriental Beauty $12.21 $10.09 21.01% Tieguanyin $9.31 $7.64 21.86% Jin Xuan $4.84 $4.62 4.76% Cui Yu $4.95 $3.64 35.99% Si ji $4.93 $3.92 25.77%

Observations (tea)

First Observation: The best Baozhong, Oriental Beauty, and Tieguanyin fetch high-mountain prices. These are teas that tea nuts and connoisseurs love, at least from the premium versions.

Second Observation: Average price tells very little about Baozhong, Oriental Beauty, and Tieguanyin. There is a clear pricing gap for all three teas. You can have premium versions of these teas and you can have non-premium versions. For teas like these, be sure to look at some of the vendors with multiple offerings. They will often sell both a lower-priced and a higher-priced version of the same tea.

Third Observation: Baozhong does not ensure quality, but Oriental Beauty and Tieguanyin kinda do. Similar to how high-mountain names (Alishan, Lishan, Shan Li Xi, Da Yu Ling) help to assure some quality, Tieguanyin, because of slow growth-rates, and Oriental Beauty, because of its processing will only rarely be budget teas. It’s difficult to buy bad high-mountain tea but easy to buy bad Baozhong (and Jin Xuan, Cui Yu, Si-ji).

Fourth Observation: Dong Ding is middle of the road. It’s neither truly high-mountain nor low-elevation and is priced accordingly.

Fifth Observation: Jin Xuan, Cui Yu, and Si-ji are very inexpensive ($3-5/oz).

Sixth Observation (a): Except for premium Baozhong, all lower-elevation teas are ideal candidates to buy in bulk. You don’t need to worry very much about the freshness of roasted Dong Ding and Tieguanyin, nor the heavily oxidized Oriental Beauty. Find a vendor you like, buy a large quantity, and re-up on these teas every 1-2 years.

Sixth Observation (b): Even for budget green oolongs, buying in bulk is a great option. For Jin Xuan, Cui Yu, and Si-ji freshness matters. However.. with four ounces of a cheap tea, you’re alot less concerned with freshness than an expensive high-mountain tea. Four ounces of Si-ji will be around $14-16, whereas four ounces of Lishan is $60. Time/freshness is more of a concern when green, premium oolong is involved.

Observations (vendors)

First Observation: Mountain Tea is really, really inexpensive. Six out of seven teas they have the most inexpensiveoffering (they don’t offer Baozhong). This was also true for their Lishan, but they lacked alot of high-mountain selection compared with other vendors.

Second Observation: Origin Tea offers great prices. In this piece they’ve been largely overshadowed by Mountain Tea, but due to their extensive high-mountain selection they probably offer some of the best prices. As a sidenote, you will have to pay for shipping from Taiwan.

Third Observation: Teamasters is expensive, but not actually too much. Compared with Teamasters stellar but pricy high-mountain collection Stephane’s low-elevation tea is actually on-par with a number of vendors.

Additional Tables

Dong Ding, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $6.75]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $36.00 4 $9.00 $10.00 11.11% 1 Origin Tea $10.88 2.64 $4.12 $4.09 0.00% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $28.50 5.3 $5.38 $5.68 5.63% 2 Naive Tea $40.00 4 $10.00 $11.00 10.00% 1 Red Blossom $20.50 4 $5.13 $6.00 17.07% 1 Hou de Asian $33.75 3 $11.25 $12.00 6.67% 1 Mountain Tea $16.50 5 $3.30 $4.50 36.36% 2 Tea From Taiwan $24.00 2.64 $9.09 N/A N/A 1 Teavivre $15.90 2.64 $6.02 N/A N/A 1 Tea Trekker $40.00 4 $10.00 $10.50 5.00% 1 zen8tea $12.00 3.5 $3.43 N/A N/A 1 Teahome $23.00 5.3 $4.34 $6.40 47.48% 1

Baozhong, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $7.12]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $44.50 5 $8.90 $12.00 34.83% 3 Origin Tea $14.70 2.64 $5.57 $5.53 0.00% 1 Teamasters $31.00 3.5 $8.86 $11.97 35.15% 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $31.35 5.3 $5.92 $6.25 5.66% 2 Naive Tea $41.00 4 $10.25 $12.00 17.07% 1 Tea From Taiwan $11.00 2.64 $4.17 N /A N/A 1 Red Blossom $39.50 4 $9.88 $11.00 11.39% 1 Hou de Asian $26.00 4 $6.50 $7.50 15.38% 1 Rishi $17.00 4 $4.25 $5.00 17.65% 1 Tea Trekker $42.00 3.5 $12.00 $12.00 0.00% 1 zen8tea $13.00 3.5 $3.71 N/A N/A 1 Dragon Tea House $18.99 3.5 $5.43 $7.38 36.02% 1

Oriental Beauty, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $9.77]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $20.25 3 $6.75 $7.50 11.11% 1 Origin Tea $18.70 2.64 $7.08 $7.03 0.00% 1 Teamasters $102.50 5.3 $19.34 $23.58 21.93% 2 Taiwan Tea Crafts $38.48 5.3 $7.26 $7.67 5.64% 1 Naive Tea $72.00 4 $18.00 $22.00 22.22% 1 Hou de Asian $35.91 4 $8.98 $9.98 11.17% 1 Tea From Taiwan $27.00 2.64 $10.23 N/A N/A 1 T-Oolong $17.99 2.64 $6.81 N/A N/A 1 Rishi $42.00 3.17 $13.25 $13.21 0.00% 1 Teavivre $16.90 3.5 $4.83 N/A N/A 1 Tea Trekker $25.00 4 $6.25 $6.75 8.00% 1 zen8tea $45.50 3.5 $13.00 $13.64 4.92% 2 Mountain Tea $21.00 4 $5.25 $5.50 4.76% 1

Tieguanyin, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $8.23]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $43.88 5 $8.78 $11.25 28.19% 2 Origin Tea $20.04 2.64 $7.59 $7.53 0.00% 1 Teamasters $35.00 3.53 $9.92 $12.50 26.07% 1 Naive Tea $40.00 4 $10.00 $11.00 10.00% 1 Hou de Asian $30.50 4 $7.63 $11.00 44.26% 1 Mountain Tea $16.50 5 $3.30 $4.25 28.79% 2 T-Oolong $16.49 2.64 $6.25 N/A N/A 1 zen8tea $26.00 2.1 $12.38 N/A N/A 1

Jin Xuan, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $5.31]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Floating Leaves $16.00 4 $4.00 $4.50 12.50% 1 Origin Tea $12.70 2.64 $4.81 $4.77 0.00% 1 Teamasters $19.50 5.3 $3.68 $5.68 54.38% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $28.84 5.3 $5.44 $5.75 5.67% 4 Naive Tea $30.00 4 $7.50 $9.00 20.00% 1 Hou de Asian $20.70 4 $5.18 $5.75 11.11% 1 Mountain Tea $13.00 5 $2.60 $3.50 34.62% 1 Tea From Taiwan $12.00 2.64 $4.55 N/A N/A 3 T-Oolong $11.66 2.64 $4.42 N/A N/A 3 Teavivre $13.90 3.5 $3.97 N/A N/A 1 Tea Trekker $52.00 4 $13.00 $13.50 3.85% 1 zen8tea $12.00 2.64 $4.55 N/A N/A 1

Cui Yu, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $3.89]

Vendor $ Cost Quantity (oz) $/oz Old $/oz % Diff # Offerings Teamasters $24.50 5.3 $4.62 $6.82 47.53% 1 Mountain Tea $13.00 5 $2.60 $3.50 34.62% 1 Taiwan Tea Crafts $22.80 5.3 $4.30 $4.55 5.77% 1 T-Oolong $7.99 2.64 $3.03 N/A N/A 1 Rishi $17.00 4 $4.25 $5.00 17.65% 1 zen8tea $12.00 2.64 $4.55 N/A N/A 1

Si-ji, All Vendors (2.1-5.3 oz) [Avg. Price = $3.65]