The Difference Between Oriental Leaf and Whole Leaf Tea

People often discuss with me the issue of Oriental Leaf and whole leaf tea, worrying that whole leaf tea has no future, saying that Oriental Leaf has no additives, is also a pure tea beverage made from original tea leaves, and tastes good, etc...

Today I write a short article to share my views.

1. Comparison of consumption between Oriental Leaf and traditional whole leaf tea.

I found that the Oriental Leaf Black Oolong flavor directly indicates the amount of tea added (>3g/L). Let's estimate how much tea leaves are needed to brew one liter using a traditional gaiwan.

All my data uses industry standards; please don't argue if you disagree.

Assuming a 130ml gaiwan with 6g of tea leaves, to produce one liter, you would need about ten infusions, plus a rinse, that's eleven infusions of water. By then, the 6g of tea would have lost its flavor. So the traditional tea consumption should be (6g/L).

Conclusion: Traditional whole leaf tea consumption is double that of Oriental Leaf.

1. Let's calculate the tea cost.

I don't know the cost of oolong tea for Oriental Leaf, but I know the cost of Pu'er tea for Oriental Leaf is about 30 yuan/kg or less. Taking Oriental Leaf's Citrus Pu'er drink as an example, let's assume that each liter consumes 3g of Pu'er (though I estimate it's less, probably 1-2g. We won't consider the citrus peel consumption because if citrus peel is used, the Pu'er consumption would be less). 30/1000*3=0.09 yuan, the tea cost per liter is 9 cents (the direct tea cost per 500ml bottle is 4.5 cents).

What is the cost of traditional Pu'er tea?

In 2024, the average price of dry raw tea in Yunnan province was 48.4 yuan/kg. This is official data, so we'll use it to calculate.

The cost of 6g is 48.4/1000*6=0.29 yuan.

Cost comparison: 0.29/0.09=3.22 times.

The cost of brewing whole leaf tea is 3.22 times that of Oriental Leaf.

1. The processing consumption of Oriental Leaf

The shelf life of Oriental Leaf tea is mostly 9 months.

I have done tests: Pu'er ancient tree ripe tea soup, after 15 days, has a lot of flocculent material and is undrinkable.

To achieve a 9-month shelf life, Oriental Leaf uses UHT sterilization, which likely kills some of the normal tea flavor. Pure milk also uses UHT sterilization for long-term preservation. Comparing fresh milk and pure milk, we know that the fresh, creamy taste of fresh milk cannot be matched by pure milk.

1. Conclusion.

1. Whole leaf tea has higher costs. Moreover, many low-end teas are consumed by deep processing (like Oriental Leaf tea drinks). The actual cost of brewing whole leaf tea should be more than three times the average cost. Higher-cost whole leaf tea is a more premium choice.

1. Whole leaf tea is like fresh milk, with a better fresh and creamy taste.

1. Whole leaf tea is more worth savoring. Most enthusiasts choose higher-grade tea materials, such as Yiwu forest ancient tree tea, which costs thousands per kilogram. These teas can reveal the charm of the forest. Oriental Leaf mainly uses plantation tea, so how can it have such charm?

1. Oriental Leaf and whole leaf tea are like fast food and private kitchen cuisine. Fast food is everywhere, but it doesn't affect private kitchens. Each has its own demand; it's not either/or, but they coexist and develop inclusively.

This is the 38th article in my "Talk About Tea on Paper" series. Click to view more "Talk About Tea on Paper" articles.