Over and over people ask online about others' favorite vendors, and one part that gets lost is that there are different kinds of vendors, with different focuses. Value can vary a lot, and quality level of tea. Range of what is available from each varies.
I'm going to try to place different kinds of vendors by category, mostly through the lens of trying teas from a few sources in the past half a year. I'll need to extend that, to get to other main types and source examples, because I've only bought tea from four sources this year, that come to mind (online; I keep buying tea from a favorite local Chinatown shop, mostly to give away, but also for myself). That's a lot compared to last year; more than for the whole year. Of course these aren't intended to represent optimum sources; they just match my own preferences.
Related to the Reddit tea vendors list capture, the image at the beginning, it's strange that there is only three categories there, for beginners, US sources, and teaware. That leaves out most applicable range, for the rest of the world, and for everyone who isn't a beginner (although it still probably works for 90% of that sub / group). It's interesting that one cited source, for beginners, mentions curated tea selling for 10 to 30 cents per gram. That's something of a contradiction, for reasons this further content will describe.
I'll start with a couple main types of sources I didn't get to, and then move on to examples of what I've tried, and how I see those mapping to categories and other comparable source options. There are pros and cons of using different kinds of sources, that relate to what someone is looking for, in terms of type / style, and value, which I'm describing as cost in relation to quality level.
A relatively low quality version of tea can still be a great value, if selling for a very low and fair price. Of course that's only if someone is ok with drinking that tea. A really costly tea can still be a great value, if quality level, rarity, and market demand all support that it's worth it.
To put a rough price range to that anything under 10 cents a gram is selling at the low end, for specialty tea. Under 5 typically relates to a different quality range entirely, for mass-produced, pretty limited in quality tea versions. You can generally buy really good quality, in-demand versions for 60 or 70 cents per gram, and it all levels off quite a bit around $1 / gram (which is the first reference to why "curated" tea selling for 30 cents a gram or less makes no sense; you can only curate the medium quality level range for that pricing, which is still pretty good tea, but "curation" implies that it's better than that).
This won't mostly be about evaluating value for different kinds of sources, but as I see it that's one main running theme, along with how good the teas actually are, and how unique the teas being offered are. You can buy above average Anxi Tie Guan Yin from lots of places, or Jin Xuan rolled oolong in Thailand; this is mostly about teas that are more unique, and harder to find.
Places I don't shop
Online market outlets: in the past Chawang Shop was sort of an exception to this, and I had great experiences buying tea from them. Yunnan Sourcing is really the main example (and I've had positive experiences buying tea from them too). King Tea Mall is a well-known and typically favorably regarded source, but according to some Yunnan Sourcing products may be a little more consistent. King Tea Mall is probably buying and selling more online, and Yunnan Sourcing would use pretty well established upstream sources at this point, since they were already around 20 years ago, operating out of Kunming.
These kinds of vendors offer everything under the sun. That's less true of Chawang Shop, but I'm using this categorization in a positive sense for them, claiming that they offer a broad range of tea types across a range of quality levels at decent value. Here's an interesting in-house Jinggu shou pu'er I bought from Chawang Shop 4 years ago, probably not typical of what they sell, but then I'm claiming here that they sell different things, varying grades of sheng and shou, and hei cha, so in a sense it is. That tea was unusually inexpensive ($15 for 400 gram brick), because they were selling it before it was settled (from fermentation funkiness) as a special offering, and you really need to hold onto it for a couple of years to get good results out of it.
Filtering related to what you want to find is a requirement, and there would be hits and misses, related to quality level and value. Getting input from others through online group discussion could be helpful. In the past text blogs or sites like Steepster filled this role, but now Discord discussion is probably more helpful. Facebook is more or less dying, in relation to tea discussion, and Reddit tea subs tend to be stuck on people repeating the exact same beginner questions every single day.
Especially related to Yunnan Sourcing the option to buy at sample quantity is a main benefit of using such a source type. You can buy a couple of dozen samples for the same price as buying a lot of just a few kinds of tea, which you may not like. Per gram value isn't as good, but it's not a great value buying a tea you don't want to drink.
It would sound as if I've moved on to narrow down sources that work even better for me, and I guess that's fair.
Higher end producer direct sites: there aren't many of these. Wuyi Origin is a main example, ran by a family member--as a frontperson--by Cindy Chen, selling great quality Wuyi Yancha, Fujian black tea, and Dan Cong, Chaozhou oolong. Usually a source selling a broad range is a bad sign, because then they're typically just reselling wholesale outlet sourced teas, or else Taobao sourced versions, but that vendor has family in both places (Wuyishan, Fujian and Chaozhou, Guangdong).
I would buy tea from them, but I've drifted into preference for sheng pu'er. It happens to people. They're a fantastic source for really good quality oolong and black teas, which are great ranges for almost everyone. But tea that good is on the costly side, typically above 30 or 40 cents per gram, with many at 60 or so. That's still a great value, given that other "curator" sources would sell the same quality level versions for around $1 / gram instead.
I did just buy tea from a Thai producer, which is another example of a different form of producer-direct sourcing, but I'll list that in the next section.
Gopaldhara is a good example of a Darjeeling garden that sells directly, both within India and outside it (through two different pages). Their teas are exceptional; they fit the "higher end" description in this category heading. There are other resale outlets that buy and distribute Indian teas, like Vahdam and Golden Tips, and those are ok too, but buying directly is generally better. You can find better tea and better values.
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really good first and second flush versions from Gopaldhara, reviewed in 2020 |
Curator sources: there are a few different variations of these, and they kind of run together with ordinary broad type online sources. A favorite I recommend is Trident Bookseller and Cafe, in Boulder. They evolved to source award winning and otherwise amazing versions over time, to sell in-house, and eventually expanded that to limited online sales. They don't push to expand volume, to contend with other larger outlets; it supplements their other business themes and income streams.
Value is great through them; for what they sell the pricing is really low. That's only possible because they're a lot more producer direct than almost any other sources. In a sense they're doing what Tealet had set out to do more than a decade ago, but left off at becoming just another wholesale vendor instead (which is fine; that's the model that ended up working). I suppose their business model might be problematic, for ramping up volume and earnings. Trying to sell the best teas at a good value would cut into your potential profit margin, and it might be hard to really ramp up volume.
Why do you never hear of a source like Trident then? In part due to gatekeeping; people wouldn't mention it to help prevent ruining their own source. In part because their existing consumer base is probably limited. And then they don't use a lot of standard broad-form advertising to help with exposure, as a larger volume oriented source like Rishi does.
Other curator or specialty themed vendors are out there, but I can't mention any related to using them as a source. Floating Leaves for Taiwanese oolongs gets mentioned as an example, but again I've not purchased anything from them. A good quality curator source in the US would need to sell at high market value just to profit, so their teas would end up all being priced around $1 / gram, which I can't afford. In terms of old-school, established outlets Tea Habitat has been a known Dan Cong vendor for a long time, since US tea enthusiast circles first came to be back in the early 2000s.
An example of an established online vendor who blurs this line, with that of an ordinary mixed-types source, might be Seven Cups. They started as a Wuyishan area main source, and probably retain that focus, but as I recall they were positioned in between the range of curator (selling the best versions at high cost) and an ordinary source (more average quality, selling for less to emphasize value). This really could be the sweet spot for a lot of people.
Why would you buy tea from them, if you could get better versions for less through Wuyi Origin? I suppose you wouldn't, if that were true, and you knew about it. But they would carry more range, and at some point people find sources they like and stop looking. They don't always want to make it their life's mission to buy the best teas for the best value; they just want to be able to order good tea for good value.
Most people also aren't going to read 2000 or so word blog post about the subject, which is fine, very understandable.
Where I buy tea (mostly this year, as an example)
I'll use where I've been buying tea as an example, starting with kind of an anomaly.
Rishi / larger outlets: I only bought two versions from them this year, Thai and Lao sheng versions (pu'er, if that was from Yunnan, but lacking any type name if from South East Asia). I kept wondering what their versions were like, so finally just ordered some to see (even though they don't represent where I usually buy tea). They were ok. They don't hold up well in competition from producer direct sources, but then that's kind of a main running theme here, that you get the best value buying as directly as possible, or from specialized vendors, when possible from sources outside the US.
They would still be fine for buying decent value, higher volume, broad type range, surely better than the average mall outlet that might be nearby. There aren't that many mall outlets nearby now, since many malls failed in the US, and Teavana folded (was bought by Starbucks, then largely shelved).
Some of Rishi's other sheng could be better than what I tried; it probably is. You can't judge a source or a producer from one or two tea versions. Or a tea type; you see that happen a lot in online discussion, and it just doesn't work.
Wawee Tea / direct Thai sourcing: oddly I'm not mentioning this as a good option for most readers; they typically wouldn't sell directly outside of Thailand. But I've just bought really exceptional Thai sheng and black tea from them, and reviewed both here.
That's a normal, running theme in South East Asian countries; you can buy local versions from very small outlets, or even good sized producers, that wouldn't be readily available / Western facing, through Facebook pages and such.
Thailand has two online shopping platforms, variations of Amazon or Ebay, in Shopee and Lazada. Existing small vendors would often sell their teas through there. There would be even more such sources in Vietnam, another favorite broad origin for me, so let's move on to a Western facing outlet from there next. I should mention first that 101 Plantation is an example of a main, high volume producer in Thailand, for buying rolled oolong and such, and my favorite Chinatown shop is Jip Eu. You could buy their teas through Shopee, I think (both of them), but not from abroad.
Viet Sun: I've bought the most tea from Viet Sun over the past 3 or 4 years, of any source. They're "Western facing," meaning set up for international shipping, and in the past for credit card payment use, although they mentioned preferring other payment options when I last ordered from them, just a month and a half ago. Their teas are great.
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Y Ty (Lao Cai) indigenous village produced Viet Sun sheng (reviewed here) |
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these are so complex that they seem a little different every time I try them |
There's a common theme among new, great value, new format vendors that they tend to sell range that's hard to find at great pricing, then later as demand catches up it's more in a normal Western market range. Their sheng cakes might be priced from $80 to $120 now, or 200 gram versions for half of that; just normal price range, for lots of outlet types. That would've been $60 to 80 3 or 4 years ago. Part of that is inflation, and a lot is demand for that supplied tea bumping up. I doubt that any of it is them increasing their mark-up rate, although that's at least possible. People find out about types ranges and sources, then demand increases, and costs, starting at producers demanding more. Usually quality becomes a little more consistent too, so better value is filled in a little on the other end, maybe just not enough to offset higher pricing.
Hatvala had been the earlier more market oriented source I used from Vietnam, and they're still there, and would still be a good source. That change related in part to me switching to pu'er preference. They sell some Vietnamese sheng, as maocha (loose versions), but Viet Sun specializes in it, and seeks out a broader range of perhaps more novel offerings.
Back to Thai themes: Tea Side would be "our" equivalent source. Their pricing is probably higher than either of these two Vietnamese sources, perhaps related to them leaning into the mark-up a bit more than is the case for those two Vietnamese sources. As a unique source option whatever they set is the standard market price, because there aren't alternatives. You have to by sheng for 40 or 50 cents a gram instead of 25 or 30 if there aren't any other options, or just don't buy it. Maybe it's that limited production at the quality range they sell pushes that same theme "up" a level, and those few higher quality option producers can keep demanding more, as I said was probably now occurring in Vietnam.
Let's check on that, by reference to their pages and offerings.
These are Viet Sun's brand new cake offerings, selling for $45 to 53 for 200 gram versions, so for between just under $90 per standard 357 gram size--which they don't sell--and around $100 on the higher side. That's actually not bad; that tea is better than just about any Western source version for $100 per standard cake size.
Tea Side's 200 gram cakes are selling for $65 to 85, based on the first four listings, for 32 cents to 42 cents per 100 grams, or $115 to $150 per 357 gram cake quantity. Is it better than Viet Sun's versions? I really don't know; it has been awhile since I tried it. Maybe only equivalent, based on what I last tried however long ago, maybe 5 years back or more.
For someone less concerned about value, about price per gram, and for whom spending a few hundred dollars on tea isn't that much of an expense, then buying a good bit of both teas would make sense, and comparing the two. It's not like when you order too much fresh green tea, and then a half a year later it's not as good. Oolongs hold up well to even a couple of years of storage, and sheng changes in ways that are often seen as improvements, as hei cha do.
To me these types of teas evolve well over the first two years, even for styles that aren't favorable for even middle time frame aging, transitioning some over 6 to 8 years. You can't really buy a 200 gram cake and plan to drink some and then keep some for 20 years, to see a full transition, or at least if you did there wouldn't be much for either consumption purpose.
I personally wouldn't age these styles of teas anyway (SE Asian sheng, in general). I tend to only ever experience such teas as 10 or so year old versions, and we can't be sure that the styles from 20 years ago were identical.
Here are some examples of how that has went in practice; reviewing a 2014 Wawee Tea Thai sheng version, and a 2017 version, in 2023, so 6 and 9 year old versions. Those teas were good, and not really through a more complete 20 to 25 year transition cycle just yet, so it was early to judge them. This review covers two 2006 Hong Tai Chang versions, reviewed in 2018, with one from Tea Side, so those two were a dozen years old then, just a little further along. One of those I own a cake of, unless I've got the version wrong, and it's a similar one. Not so much of it is left now, but I have some I could try as a 20 year old tea. It's fine, but it would be better if I was more into aged sheng.
I think I'm really referencing three different styles of tea. The old HTC versions were made by a foreign (Thai) based Chinese producer back then, and Wawee Tea was making their own versions, without direct outside input, back in 2014 to 2017. The plant material may be the same today, the same exact plants, but we can't be sure that the style is exactly the same. Presumably they would've only improved processing over time, but there could've been some style shift, to being just different, versus better. For "better" we need to include "better how," better to drink as new tea or more suitable for 20+ year aging.
Even if someone tries all of these teas just mentioned, as I have, it's difficult to say exactly what you are experiencing is better, worse, or different in style a decade later. In this writing in 2015 I'm reviewing 2004 Thai "pu'er-style" versions, again from Tea Side, but I can't place how much my own perspective on the same teas has varied in 11 years. So we make of it what we can.
Unconventional but standard vendor sources: Tea Mania is the main source that comes to mind related to this (based in Switzerland; that's different).
That vendor has shared samples with me a couple of times over the last few years, and I've bought more tea from them than from almost any source over the past decade, probably more in total than from Viet Sun. Not so much recently, because I've been focusing on South East Asian versions and sources. The styles coming out of Thailand, Vietnam, and Lao have become personal favorites. Myanmar teas are great too; I've tried a good bit of those, and still own some, some of which has been aging at home for around a decade.
Tea Mania is one of the best sources online, per my judgment, even if only based on their Lucky Bee value oriented Yiwu cakes line. Their other gushu range versions are more exceptional, of course, but not in terms of value, of quality and pleasantness in relation to prices. You just can't buy decent Yiwu at low prices.
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Tea Mania 2021 Jing Mai and 2022 Yiwu sheng pu'er |
Since the main theme here is where I've been buying tea recently I might mention some tea that's in-transit. I bought a couple of value oriented cakes from Chen Sheng Hao, after reviewing a cool sample set of mini cakes from them a couple of years ago. Those were higher end, more exceptional teas, but I can't really be buying 50 to 80 cent per gram versions, so this order was about following up on someone commenting online that their lower cost blends are really good. We'll see; I'll be writing about that a couple of times over the next few weeks.
Some other vendors have been sending me tea that fall into this range. By "unconventional" I mean outside the normal Yunnan Sourcing / Crimson Lotus / etc., etc. paradigm. You don't tend to see Chen Sheng Hao mentioned in places like the Reddit r/tea recommended vendors list. Oriental Leaf, a vendor based in China, sent some exceptional hei cha versions over the past couple of years, novel variations of Fu zhuan or Fu brick teas; they work as another example. Or Legend of Tea, a Malaysia based vendor, sent some Liu Bao and sheng to review, and they're probably as good a source as any for aged Liu Bao.
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Oriental Leaf Fu zhuan hei cha (based on white tea) |
Atypical naming stands out about one of those sources; the term "oriental" fell out of favor in "the West" about 15 years ago, regarded as pejorative (as negative). Here in Bangkok they don't keep up with that kind of political correctness; businesses still use that term in business names, and the average person wouldn't be aware of that change. But then people mostly only use English as a second language, which changes things.
It could seem odd to buy tea from abroad, in other countries than where it is from, from vendors who aren't producer sources. But it would make sense to, if they could source better tea than standard US or European vendors are selling, and sell it for less than those places. You would be "getting in on" lower local pricing in other markets, in this case in China and Malaysia. Shipping would add extra cost, but it costs money to ship within one country, so it's only adding the difference between that and international shipping. If it's $20 more then buying at volume could offset that, by a lot.
Let's add a reviewed example of that, from one of those sources, from Legend of Tea (out of Malaysia) to make that point clearer:
Legend of Tea 2024 Mengsong sheng pu'er (reviewed in this blog here in 2025)
This tea sells for 118 RM (Malaysian Ringgit), which is equivalent to $29, for a 200 gram cake. That price looks like a citation mistake, doesn't it? 3 or 4 years ago it would've been more normal. Their description:
This year's Xiao Ba Wang is sourced from ecological tea trees in the high mountains of Mengsong Da Man Lü, this sheng Pu-erh boasts a fresh, sweet aroma complemented by the distinctive alpine forest fragrance. Its naturally refreshing profile is soft, sweet, and intricately layered, offering a gentle yet rich tea-drinking experience. Each sip reveals a long-lasting sweetness with a refreshing, full-bodied aroma that lingers delightfully.
That's $50-some for a 357 gram amount that sounds like Yunnan Sourcing's higher end $110-120 or so current Impression cakes. My review notes adds my impression:
#2: depth and complexity pick up. Bitterness starts, but that's still moderate. Mineral undertone is pronounced, of course in a light mineral range, nothing like in Wuyi Yancha or other roasted oolongs. Flavor seems to include floral tones, and a creamy sort of feel is adjoined by a touch of creamy flavor. Sounds like oolong range, doesn't it? But the feel structure of this is sheng, and the included bitterness, even if it's not challenging...
#4: more of the same; it isn't changing quickly. Aftertaste and bitterness may both dial up slightly. Intensity is definitely good, and again the balance and overall effect is nice, the lack of flaws. Flavor range doesn't extend to anything so interesting, but it comes across as good tea, pleasant and intense.
I think I'm feeling the effects already...
So it was pretty good, which I was characterizing as on the basic side, because I'd been drinking a good bit of distinctive, high quality, kind of expensive gushu around then, teas more in the 80 cents a gram range, $150+ for 200 gram cakes instead of $30.
I've tried that since, and it's pretty good tea, relatively speaking. It's much, much better than any standard factory tea; maybe two full levels above that. I mean in relation to Dayi 7542, and also to many others that don't have the external image of being benchmark versions. For $50-some for a standard size cake it's underpriced by a lot; from just about any other sources it would cost closer to $100, or maybe over that.
What are standard vendor sources then?
This last category description raises a question: if those are unconventional exceptions, as sources go, what are the most conventional options?
Yunnan Sourcing comes to mind, but that's only a conventional, standard option related to a category, to what I'm calling a market style vendor, one who sells many produce categories and product versions (thousands, in their China based site, and still a lot in their US site).
For pu'er other main vendors are Farmerleaf, White 2 Tea, Crimson Lotus, and Bitterleaf (beyond King Tea Mall and Chawang Shop being good options, again what I'm calling market style vendors). They would "only" sell a few dozen versions at any given time, a good selection, but limited enough that you could page through it.
Rishi, which I mentioned, and Adagio are examples of older form, generalist, medium quality, higher volume outlets. There's nothing wrong with preferring some relatively conventional rolled oolong, or whatever else might seem a bit standard. People often like some teas as a comfort tea, or to drink with food, and preferences change over time.
To me Teasenz is a good example of a generalist vendor, based out of China, one who sells a little of different things, that is well-regarded and a good value. Why them, when there are probably 100 relatively similar outlets online? It's just an example I'm familiar with, and they've put the time in to be somewhat established as a known brand. I've bought tea from them at least a couple of times, and it was good, nothing too amazing, but good for what it was represented as. Actually a shai hong pressed cake I bought in 2017 was well beyond that, this tea; they could also find versions that stand out.
Really there aren't standard generalist vendors, typically. One builds up an image related to a main theme and type range, if at all (like Yunomi for Japanese teas, or those other pu'er vendors already mentioned). In some cases they grow to be well-regarded standard options, but more often their businesses just succeed, and they do a little better year to year.
