Online sales effort highlights tea's growing popularity

A woman picks Longjing tea leaves in Wuyi county, Zhejiang province. CHINA DAILY

The new model, he adds, is also an efficient way to curb the prevalence of fake products because fresh tea can be offered quicker straight from the growers, before knock-offs even appear.

But not everyone is buying the concept. Concern still exists among consumers that tea sold online may be of inferior quality.

One of them is Tan Tan, a 49-year-old white-collar worker in Bazhong, Sichuan province, who has been a regular tea drinker for a decade.

"Online ordering is convenient. I am quite open to the new approach but only on the premise that tea sold online must be genuine and of the same quality as those sold in brick-and-mortar stores."

Late cold snap affects harvesting of Westlake Longjing

This year's first batch of Westlake Longjing tea, a well-known variety of top-end green tea produced in Zhejiang province, went on sale on March 17, its earliest offer in 20 years.

Traditionally picked just prior to Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year, the most expensive Longjing tea is priced similar to last year, said sellers.

Wuyutai Tea, one of Beijing's oldest distributers, has bought around 75 kilogram of Westlake Longjing, priced at about 8,200 yuan ($1,264.44) per 0.5 kilogram, said Sun Danwei, Wuyutai's general manager.

"There's not a lot of Longjing tea available this year, as harvesting of the crop was affected by a late snowfall on March 10."