Denis Nevecherya: Few people understand Chinese tea, so they sell a low-grade product, wrapping it in a layer of beautiful legends

Almost all of us drink several cups of tea every day. In countries where drinking tea can be called a religion, they drink 4-6 cups of tea a day. These countries include Türkiye, Morocco, Kazakhstan, etc.

Are there many people in Ukraine who are able to distinguish good tea from bad, what to drink tea with and how to choose it better, we asked Denis Nevecheri, the owner of the teaholic.com.ua store

How to choose tea for yourself?

You need to understand why you drink tea. If you want a light, refreshing tea, try white. If invigorating tea with a dense taste – black pu-erh. And you can drink a cake with simple Indian tea. In addition, each tea affects individual people differently. For example, green tea invigorates me, and relaxes you. Therefore, I will drink green tea in the morning, and you in the evening. In general, you need to experiment and understand what is closer to you and in what situations.

Do I need to add sugar, lemon, etc. to tea, and what is better to drink tea with?

First, I’ll tell you how the habit of adding something to tea appeared. There was a period when the cunning Chinese sold spoiled tea in large quantities to the British. To offset the shortcomings in taste, the British introduced the tradition of tea with milk, lemon and sugar.

Good tea is self-sufficient, it has a multifaceted taste and aroma, a certain effect. It would hardly be appropriate to put 3 tablespoons of sugar in a 15-year-old collection pu-erh. On the other hand, it would be foolish to hold tea ceremonies with Lipton. I divide tea into 2 types: household and premium. Household tea is budget and unpretentious, it is perfect if you want to drink hot without problems. And premium tea is like expensive wine. It needs certain utensils and attention.

How bad is tea bags really?

The very phenomenon of tea bags is excellent. The small fraction of the leaf allows the tea to brew quickly, and the bag keeps tea leaves from getting into the mouth. The problem is that due to the fact that it is difficult to understand what kind of tea in a bag, you can put anything in there. The same goes for the bags themselves. There are high-quality and eco-friendly silk or cotton bags, and there are standard ones that can be harmful when in contact with boiling water.

What effect does real Chinese tea have on the body?

In China, they say that every cup of tea drunk ruins the pharmacist. High-quality tea contains about 300 useful trace elements. In the long run, this has huge health benefits. Especially good tea affects the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, skin. Good tea removes toxins, improves mood and tones the body.

Are there many fakes in Ukraine?

Tea culture is very similar to wine culture. There are also collectible varieties, the cost of which reaches hundreds of thousands of dollars. Similar teas are counterfeited everywhere. In addition, few people understand tea, so it is not difficult for unscrupulous producers to deceive the layman. Usually, tea is greatly increased in price, backing it up with beautiful legends. For example, the sale of Milk Oolong is stimulated by fairy tales that tea bushes are watered daily with milk, so it has a milky flavor. Although, in fact, a couple of drops of flavor per kilogram of tea do their job perfectly.

Is there a lot of competition in your niche? How can you stand out?

If we consider the tea niche as a whole, then, of course, the competition is huge. Moreover, a number of tea brands have already taken root in the minds of people, with which it is very difficult to compete. As for the niche of Chinese tea, there is also a lot of competition, but it is of lower quality. Few people understand Chinese tea, so they sell a low-grade product, wrapping it in a layer of beautiful legends. People have always been drawn to something unknown, so there are a lot of people who are interested in trying real Chinese tea. You can stand out either due to high expertise, which is broadcast through content, or due to marketing. Cool packaging, attentive service, quality content, audience research, etc.

How should tea be stored properly?

Ideally, without access to the sun, vacuum-packed and limit the ingress of foreign odors. Therefore, if you come across cool tea, it is better not to store it in the kitchen.

What varieties are best to start acquaintance with Chinese tea?

I advise you to try all 7 varieties: white, green, yellow, oolong, red tea, pu-erh and black tea. Many people try one type of tea, which is also of low quality, and based on this they build their impression of Chinese tea in general. It’s like saying sports are boring after playing curling. Try everything. So you will definitely find your tea that will delight you. We often buy sets of several varieties of tea, 25-50 grams each, try several types and then order in large quantities those varieties that fit.

Denis, what is the difference between tea of the same variety, but of a different category?

Place of growth, the raw material itself, production technology, year of collection and many more factors.

For example, tea can be made from a tea bud – this will be the highest category, from a mix of buds and leaves – a lower category, or simply from leaves – a simple tea. The same applies to altitude. The higher, the better.

The interview was prepared as part of the “Interview with our Clients” project. If you are our Client, and we still have not talked about your project in the blog, contact us in any convenient way to prepare for publication.