On Feb 13, 7:14 pm, > wrote:
> A discussion about this statement came up in a post today, and it was proven very clearly by Dominic through a funny but true comment that it is a foolish statement. But then I thought about it a bit more and it made me wonder if there is actually some kind of official organization somewhere that defines standards of quality, how fine, how expensive, how *good*, etc, different teas in the market are. Is there some award that might give a clue of how good a garden's production is at a national or international level? Is it just the *invisible hand* of the market and the demand of the consumers what defines this things? Many many questions, but I find many many answers in this place so I bet you guys can help me out with this one.
>
> -Sencha
>
> --
> Send fromhttp://www.nonsolonews.net

It's highly subjective when it comes to any "best" statements, but the
best places to start are the tea auctions held each year for any
respective variety. $3,000 a kilo for Darjeeling, $1,500+ for
Tieguanyin, and I have seen Gyokuro's going for those ranges as well (~
$2,000 per kilo). When a particular tea sparks a bidding war that
lasts and lasts, there is normally a reason.

Sometimes the most expensive aren't always the "best" either. That's
why I put little faith in the most expensive = best idea. Just as with
anything There is a clear difference between the lowest/cheap stuff
and the better/expensive tea, but after a certain point it becomes
subjective and other factors end up determining the value.

Just as with wine, there is no "best" but there are many super
expensive ones, many amazing wines, and Arbor Mist.

Taiwan is big on tea competitions, and the winners and runner ups are
normally as close to "the best" as you will find. Just like the many
awards given to wines they are normally a good indicator of quality
but still subjective.

Each individual type of tea branches out in an endless sea of sub-
types and even then each particular region could be a life's work of
devotion. I have no problem admitting I haven't even scratched the
surface of the dust on top of the surface of tea. I love learning and
growing with it every day though, and have come quite far in my own
journey with no end in sight.

- Dominic