"Tea Talk on Paper" No. 11: Discussing the Pitfalls on the Road of Tea Making

I often hear colleagues in the tea industry talk about various pitfalls, and I have encountered many myself. Previously, I always thought I lacked experience and seniority, but in the past two years, I haven't encountered such things, and I thought I was qualified to be in the tea industry.

But this time I stayed in Menghai for over three months and encountered many pitfalls again. Some cannot be mentioned, but I will share one recent incident with a pseudonym for my colleagues' reference.

Houyue Crowdfunding Sun-dried Red Tea Processing: Fresh Leaf Withering

This time, we had a batch of tea that was processed according to our process requirements using fresh leaves, at three different locations, one of which was the processing point at Menghai S Tea Factory. This point was rented by a boss A from S Factory. Boss A rented a large workshop from Factory C, with a drying shed of over a thousand square meters. When I visited, I really liked this point (initial processing facility).

On July 3rd, I briefly settled accounts with Boss A, and the processing fees were almost fully paid. We agreed that early on July 4th, I would take all the tea to the refining factory to press into cakes. On the evening of July 3rd, Boss A called me and said that S Factory wouldn't allow the tea to be taken out, claiming that A hadn't paid the rent for the initial processing facility. He said he had no way, as his cash was tied up in tea stored in the warehouse, but he had discussed with S Factory's boss B and they agreed that paying 50,000 yuan first would be enough. He asked me to lend him 50,000 yuan first. When I heard this, a thousand alpacas ran through my mind, but there was no way around it; I had to discuss with my partners, since we were waiting to make the tea.

On July 4th, I went to S Factory with A, hoping to pay the 50,000 and quickly take the tea away. After arriving, A first went into the office with a female supervisor from S Factory to discuss, and then called in S Factory's General Manager Z. After about ten minutes, A came to me and said that S Factory still wouldn't allow the tea to be taken out unless the full amount was paid. I had no choice but to send the truck back first and then discuss with General Manager Z.

I said that these teas were processed on my commission, and I had no idea about the issues between A and him. If it weren't for that, I would have taken the spring tea away long ago. I left it there because I thought the environment of this initial processing facility was good, and the tea needed to air out some moisture. Now my production plan is set, and this incident has nothing to do with me, but I still agree to lend 50,000 to A, so please let me take the tea. I explained various reasons why their dispute had nothing to do with me, and I was an innocent bystander. General Manager Z just said one thing: A can take the tea after paying in full. You have no relationship with me, so there's no need to say more.

In the morning, I had to go back. In the afternoon, I went with my partner to find A first and ask him to find a solution. A's attitude was still good, but he simply didn't have the money to pay S Factory. We had to negotiate with S Factory again to see if we could pay 50,000 and take half the tea first to meet our urgent delivery. General Manager Z was very polite in the morning, but in the afternoon his attitude became very tough, and he didn't want to talk much. He said he had already made many concessions to A, but A had repeatedly failed to keep promises, so he couldn't do anything. He believed these teas belonged to A and had nothing to do with us, so he wouldn't let us take them. I was so frustrated; a thousand alpacas ran back and forth dozens of times.

Afterwards, I had no choice but to handle it quickly. Production was already planned, so I had to lend the full amount for A to pay S Factory's rent before I could take the tea.

Whether A or Z is right or wrong doesn't matter to me. I don't think I made any obvious mistakes; the only mistake was choosing to process at A's rented initial processing facility at the wrong time. A was definitely wrong for not paying as agreed. S Factory, knowing full well that all the tea was mine, still detained it and refused to let me take it. Even when I compromised and offered to lend 50,000 to A to take half the tea, they refused and were tough. I think that doesn't seem quite right.

Now let's talk about pitfalls I encountered before.

First, buying raw materials. Previously, we mostly bought finished products from peers, and only started from fresh leaves this year. When buying finished products, we usually take samples first, either sent by peers or collected by ourselves from peers. We decide whether to use them based on the samples. The first and second crowdfunded teas of Houyue were selected from over a hundred samples. We selected and blended based on taste requirements, first eliminating unqualified samples (with pesticide residues, wrong tree age or region), then eliminating those that couldn't be used (not suitable for blending into our tea), and finally comparing multiple blending plans to determine the proportion of materials, and then deciding whether to buy and how much. For both teas, six people participated; the first took 23 days, the second 12 days. Before sampling, we clearly told the tea farmers how long they needed to keep the tea for us; otherwise, if it was sold midway, it would delay things. The first two crowdfunded teas of Houyue had many experienced people involved, so no problems occurred.

But I encountered many bizarre things before.

Once, I was satisfied with a sample and wanted to buy. When I went to pick up the tea, the sample had white down and golden tips, but the bulk tea was black and dull. I was stunned. Fortunately, I insisted on inspecting each bag. The seller kept saying it was the same thing, and that agricultural products might have some variation but were basically the same. I wanted to curse; how could this be the same? In the end, I had no choice but to return empty-handed. If I had let him deliver to my warehouse, there would have been disputes.

Another time, I wanted to buy ancient tree tea from Dahu Sai, only a few dozen kilograms. Since the quantity was small, it wasn't worth going down the mountain. A tea merchant brought a sample that perfectly matched my previous tea, and the price was reasonable, so I decided to buy. We agreed face to face, I paid, and he arranged delivery to my shop. A few days later, I received the goods. First, the appearance seemed different, but not too much. When I brewed it and compared with the sample, the taste was completely different. I had no choice but to call the merchant over and brew them side by side. He insisted they were the same. I couldn't do anything, so I said I no longer wanted to buy this batch; could I return it? I would pay the shipping. The guy said, "You can return it, but I don't have the money to refund you now." He had already spent the money and would pay me back when he had it.

I was so angry, but what could I do? I had to deal with it myself. Later, a friend wanted it, and I sold the tea, which cost less than 10,000 yuan, at a discounted price of over 3,000, losing more than half.

So how can we avoid this? Let me share my current experience; it may not be right, but I hope to spark discussion and welcome your advice.

First, find the right person.

The tea circle is small. First, ask around about whether the seller is reliable. Ask several people, or if necessary, post on Weibo, WeChat Moments, and you can find out. Nowadays, people tend not to speak ill of others. If someone is reliable, those who know will directly say you can trade with confidence. If unreliable, they will generally say to be careful and pay only after seeing the tea. Only those very close to you will say that this person is unreliable.

Then, get the process right.

First, the sample must be correct. When going to the seller's warehouse, take samples from multiple bags (boxes) of the bulk tea, from both top and bottom of each bag. Before sampling, confirm whether the tea has been evenly mixed. If it has been evenly mixed, you only need to open a bag to check if it's the same tea; no need to sample from multiple bags. If not evenly mixed, you need to sample from multiple bags and positions. Take a handful from each position, put them on a large bamboo tray, and first check if the samples are consistent. If the tea quantity is not large, you can mix them together; the taste of the evenly mixed bulk tea will be similar to the sample. If the samples differ greatly from each other, it's best to abandon this tea; it's not worth wasting more time.

Second, the transaction process must be correct. It's best to have a contract, agreeing on the price, quantity based on the confirmed sample, and that payment will be made after the tea arrives at your warehouse and is inspected. Then it's simple: when the tea arrives, open several bags (boxes) to inspect. I usually inspect all if there are only a few dozen bags, and at least one-third if the quantity is large. Mix the inspected tea and brew it with the sample. If it matches and the weight is correct, you can pay.

Someone may ask: How to ensure the sample is correct? That's a good question. If you want to buy ancient tree tea from Yiwu Wan Gong, and someone gives you a sample of ancient tree tea from another place in Yiwu, it tastes good too, and when the bulk arrives, it matches the sample, but later you find the tea is wrong. That's because the sample wasn't correct. When I look for samples, I usually go to the tea farmer's home, drink tea, and ask for a sample. For particularly expensive or special teas, I need to collect fresh leaves and make the sample myself. If I don't have that condition, I buy from others, from multiple sources. Don't be stingy with sample fees; that's small money. The big money is when you buy the tea. After understanding the taste, compare with the sample to know if the sample is correct.

The tea road is long and full of pitfalls. I hope that tea enterprises and practitioners in the industry will exercise self-discipline, and that there will be fewer pitfalls and less internal friction. Perhaps that is where hope lies.

The article and images are original. Author: Lü Jianfeng, WeChat: ynwuse, working at 51 Pu'er Net, initiator of Houyue Crowdfunding Tea.