A Guide on How to Find Good Tea

Unveiling the Myths of Western Tea Culture

If you live in Europe or America and are passionate about tea, you may be used to purchasing your daily tea from supermarkets, such as herbal teas, black tea, or green tea. As your interest grows, you might turn to online shops to buy more regionally distinctive teas, like Chinese or Taiwanese oolong tea, or even Yunnan Pu’er. As your love for tea deepens, you may gravitate toward more expensive teas, attracted by the reputation of tea masters or unique processing techniques, seeking a higher level of tea experience. After drinking tea for a longer time, you may even long to travel to Asia, visit tea plantations, experience tea-making firsthand, and explore the traditional Gongfu tea brewing method. Meanwhile, health-conscious consumers often opt for organic teas from the very beginning, hoping to gain a purer, healthier tea-drinking experience.

The above is a general observation of the path a Western tea enthusiast might take, from initial interest to deeper exploration. When a culture or concept is transmitted from its native region to another, it undergoes transformation during the spread, leading to a second cultural phenomenon after interacting with local traditions. "Western tea culture" differs from Chinese tea, which has been embedded in daily life for thousands of years, and has indeed developed its own unique expression over the last century.

At the same time, I sense certain risks in this. Many stories and names of teas, due to the sense of distance, are imbued with overly romanticized imaginations. Merchants use this as a selling point to market stories, raise prices through labels, and attract customers with visuals, causing people to lose focus and become unable to discern the true quality of the tea.

I believe there are many people who sincerely want to understand tea culture and genuinely seek good tea. If you are one of those truth-seekers, you may have already noticed that there are too many stories in the market and too little good tea. This is something I hope to avoid. Instead of spending time writing stories, I choose to share more real observations and deep reflections on tea.

The Reality of the Tea Market

While enjoying the tea in your cup, beyond the stories you’ve been told, have you ever considered these simple questions: Where does all this tea on the market come from? How is it grown? Is it really healthy? Am I drinking tea or my imagination?

No matter the price of your tea, more than 90% of the world’s tea is still grown using conventional chemical agriculture, which means the heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Although organic tea is gradually increasing in market share, even by 2030, global organic tea production is only expected to reach 10%. As for tea grown using natural farming methods or wild cultivation, it is even rarer, limited to a few connoisseurs or eco-conscious tea enthusiasts. As awareness of health continues to grow, these kinds of teas might, in the future, become more mainstream along with organic tea, but this will naturally depend on the shift in consumer knowledge and consciousness.

As I continued my exploration, I became more deeply aware that the real value of tea does not lie in its fancy packaging or high price but in the environment where it grows. If a tea tree relies on chemical agents to survive on barren land, its intrinsic quality will be compromised, and even with expert processing, it will be hard to express truly profound flavors and vitality.

Therefore, understanding how tea is grown is key to finding high-quality tea. Next, I will introduce you to five common tea farming methods, analyzing their differences from an ecological perspective and comparing the tea garden environments and the flavors in the cup to help you better understand their essence.

Five Types of Tea Cultivation Methods

Conventional Tea

The mainstream choice of chemical agriculture, driven by human interests, leading to ecological exploitation and destruction.

Tea Garden Characteristics

In conventional farming, humans dominate nature, exploiting it to satisfy human desires. The more produced, the higher the income. Farmers use herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and growth promoters to control the land and increase yields. The tea gardens are devoid of biodiversity. Long-term use of chemical agents causes soil salinization, acidification, and environmental damage, which is also harmful to the human body when consumed in tea.

Because of high production, the tea is often processed in bulk, leading to rough quality. Tea trees are over-harvested, and when they are exhausted, they are uprooted and replanted. In this system, living beings are not respected but treated as tools for production.

Taste of the Tea

This method usually produces tea with a strong aroma, but it’s often artificially enhanced and far from the natural fragrance. The tea lacks depth and is sharp. The lingering bitterness and numbing sensation come from the use of sprouting agents. After drinking, those who are more sensitive may feel tension in their bodies. Because of easily released nitrogen from synthetic fertilizers, the body responds by accelerating the heartbeat to balance itself. After two or three brews, the flavor fades away. About 90% of the tea on the market is produced this way, and people have become accustomed to this flavor, believing it to be the true taste of tea.

Organic Tea

A step toward health, scientifically managed organic farming is scalable, replicable, and controllable. It sits between conventional and natural farming methods.

Tea Garden Characteristics

Organic farming does not use synthetic chemicals or genetic modifications, aiming for ecological balance and biodiversity. While it moves away from conventional methods, it remains a human-designed system, not truly natural. Organic fertilizers can still cause pollution if improperly managed, and soil can still suffer from acidity and salt build-up. Some organic labels are used primarily for profit, so organic does not always mean better quality. Deep scrutiny is needed to assess farming practices.

Taste of the Tea

Organic tea generally has a clean and pure taste, although its layers are less complex compared to more natural methods. It’s closer to the natural flavor of tea but still lacks the depth and richness that comes from less intervention in the tea garden.

Natural Farming Tea / Naturally Farmed Tea

Living in harmony with nature, observing and adapting to its rhythms.

Tea Garden Characteristics

Natural farming, as advocated by pioneers like Mokichi Okada and Masanobu Fukuoka, avoids human interference and allows nature to sustain itself. The focus is on soil health, treating it as a living organism capable of self-regulation and fertility. Farmers only intervene at the right time, minimally disturbing the natural processes.

Tea gardens are lush, with tall, strong tea trees. Weeds grow alongside tea trees and are used as natural fertilizers. The goal is to coexist with nature rather than control it. Farmers choosing this method often do so from a sense of conscience, and the yields depend heavily on nature’s cycles. Natural farming tea is not guaranteed to make money but is a more ethical approach.

Taste of the Tea

The "inner quality" of the tea is richer compared to that grown with organic farming methods. This is because the tea trees have a fallow period, allowing them to grow for a longer time. The resulting tea has a thicker mouthfeel, with more complex layers that come together as a harmonious whole, reflecting a healthier ecosystem. The sweetness is also more naturally expressed. The taste profile and aroma are distinctly different from conventionally grown tea—simple, light, yet full-bodied.

Compared to organic tea, the flavor is cleaner and more pure. However, when compared to wild farmed tea, it lacks a certain wild character from the tea tree itself and the mountain and wilderness notes formed by the surrounding environment.

Wild Farmed Tea

Returning to the essence, drinking / taking in nature itself.

Tea Garden Characteristics

In wild farming, human intervention is even more minimal. The goal is to allow the ecosystem to return to a more primal state. Some tea trees are not pruned, and the biodiversity includes wild grasses, flowers, medicinal plants, and other tree species. The tea trees root deeply into the soil, absorbing nutrients and minerals from the environment.

The tea trees are independent and resilient, having developed wild qualities through the challenges of their natural surroundings. Good wild farmed tea is harvested only once a year, allowing for the longest possible fallow period. Every leaf's nutrients are the result of a year's slow growth and natural development. This kind of tea is not just a treat for the palate but also a deep connection to nature itself, allowing the drinker to feel the strength and tranquility of the natural world.

Taste of the Tea

To identify wild farmed tea, you can look for its rounded, jelly-like texture in the tea soup, a result of the extended fallow period during which the tea leaves develop a thick layer of pectin to protect themselves. When drinking wild farmed tea, you're not just tasting the tea tree, but the entire surrounding ecosystem, which gives the tea its unique “mountain and wilderness” character. The flavor is subtle and layered, not dominated by one or two prominent tastes but expressed as a harmonious whole. Its aroma is penetrating, slowly spreading from the mouth to the throat and down to the stomach, leaving a soothing, relaxed feeling. The drinker’s mind becomes clear and expansive, as if attuned to the natural frequency of the tea. It's similar to the sense of relaxation one feels after spending time in a forest or by the sea, but with tea, the frequency enters the body more directly and acts even faster.

Wild Tea

The original form of tea trees, untouched by human cultivation.

Tea Garden Characteristics

The arbor variety is the original form of the tea tree. The evolution from arbor to small arbor and then to shrub varieties reflects both natural geographic variations and human domestication, leading to a limitless diversity of tea tree genes. True wild tea usually grows freely in the wild with long lifespans. These plants are untouched by human cultivation or domestication, with seeds pollinating randomly, falling randomly, and taking root and sprouting wherever they land. Due to the influence of the surrounding environment, these plants easily undergo mutations, making the variety and flavor impossible to define. Not every wild tea is suitable for making tea. With no human intervention, people simply enter the mountains to pick and process the tea when conditions allow.

Taste of the Tea

The taste of wild tea varies depending on the environment and the age of the tree, but it shares a distinctive “wild charm.” It is best appreciated without preconceived notions, allowing one to experience the pure state of the natural world. Wild tea is rare and not part of regular market offerings.

These five farming methods offer different relationships with nature and produce tea with distinct characteristics, from heavily manipulated conventional tea to the pure, untamed essence of wild tea.

Reflections on Different Tea Farming Methods

Don’t Get Lost in Labels

No matter the farming method, it ultimately becomes just a label. What matters is to take a closer look at the way the tea is grown and the integrity of the people behind it. Some claim they practice “wild farmed" farming, but they harvest frequently, resulting in high yields and large profits. Others may pursue organic farming but still use excessive fertilizers to match the output of conventional farming. The key is to find people who work with honesty, as only then can there be tea gardens that are managed truthfully, producing genuine, high-quality tea.

A Matter of Trade-Offs

No single farming method is absolutely good or bad. Complex factors like population growth, ecological issues, and pollution all shape the world we live in today. Some tea gardens may have poorer soil, making them more suitable for natural farming methods that incorporate occasional natural fertilizers. It all boils down to weighing the pros and cons and finding a balance.

The most important thing is to clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Then, find tea that aligns with your philosophy of life, economic conditions, health needs, and personal preferences. Many people buy products unconsciously, without knowing the real reason behind their choice. If, after becoming aware of these factors, someone still chooses to drink conventionally grown tea that may harm the body, that is their personal decision. Conversely, if someone consciously supports a specific farming method, helping to fund the land’s regeneration and purification, that too is a choice. Striking a balance and making conscious decisions are the keys.

Drinking Tea for Health Improvement

Tea is a deep world, yet it can also be simple enough for the heart to instantly understand. I’ve only encountered a handful of people who, from the very beginning, sought out truly exceptional tea. In my experience, these individuals often have a refined sensitivity to beauty or a deep connection to nature. What they sense is more about the shared beauty and essence among all things, with tea being just one medium for expression. Each person experiences beauty differently, but the common ground we can all understand is the quality of tea that supports health.

Tea is something we directly ingest. No matter how great the taste, if its origin isn’t pure or the craftsmanship is poor, drinking it will harm body and mind. In such cases, drinking tea becomes counterproductive. So, health is the most fundamental aspect we need to consider. This ultimately ties back to whether the environment in which the tea is grown is clean and humane.

Seeking and Finding Truly Good Tea

If you wish to truly explore good tea, you must first go beyond the enchanting illusions the market offers and return to the essence of tea itself. Don’t be swayed by beautiful packaging or captivating stories. What truly determines the quality of tea is the way it is grown and its natural environment. Only tea that respects nature and integrates into the ecosystem can reveal the vitality of life with every sip, bringing balance and peace to both body and mind.

After stripping away the numerous concepts and ideas imposed upon it, what is tea, really? Sometimes, when you taste it, you will naturally understand. Drink for the essence, understand the essence, and explore the essence. Good tea brings us back to the most fundamental things in life, and it purifies our lives, making them simpler and more authentic. That’s the taste of good tea.

If, after reading this, you’ve come to understand the truth behind the story of a cup of tea, perhaps you’ll begin to be curious about trying teas grown through different methods. Let your tea journey lead you to connect more deeply with the land and the spirit of untamed mountains, and in doing so, connect with your own heart.

If you’d like to learn more, let's have a chat!