En Jie, an Australian based Chinese tea specialist, has a passion to share the modern rediscovery of an ancient beverage; Chinese tea. “a source of life enjoyment and good health”. En Jie sell’s online at Valley Green Tea

Tea, well established in China with discerning well informed customers, is universally consumed at restaurants, work, home and in specialist tea houses. There is a strong tradition of drinking the locally produced tea. For example in the An Xi area, which produces 95% of China’s Tie Guan Yin tea, local people drink this local tea exclusively.

Tea shops in this area are also highly specialised in the local teas ( Outside a tea producing region tea shops will typically offer a wider variety of teas) and different qualities are easily differentiated by price. There is a great emphasis on quality and acceptance of these price differentials, for a top quality tea can be up to 1,000 times that of a base quality tea of the same type.

Most Chinese will regularly consume a medium to high quality tea. They may buy one tea quality for ordinary consumption and a higher quality for special occasions. Top quality teas are also often sold as collectables or gifts; Companies give them to clients as a demonstration of their wealth and prestige in being able to obtain rare and valued goods and China tends not to export their very top quality teas as they are able to fetch higher prices locally due to the appreciation within their local markets.