> In my experience, there are very few Chinese restaurants offering
> diners the choice to drink high-quality tea, even for an added
> charge. I think the restaurants believe their customers expect tea
> gratis. So I bring my own loose leaves; the restaurants are always
> happy to contribute the hot water.


I'm in Guangxi right now. It's not the same here in China, in the large
restaurants, you actually have to order and pay for your tea - because
they use good quality leaves. So you have to spend betweeen 50-150 yuan
for a pot of tea - depending on which restaurant you go to. That's
quite pricey in China, but you wouldn't go to those restaurants unless
you had money to burn anyway. The free tea is usually some cold herbal
tea that doesn't taste too good. So it's better to order the good tea
with your meal.

But I seldom eat in restaurants here. I always think my own cooking
tastes much better than what they serve in the restaurants, and I can
brew the tea that I like. So I do my own cooking at home.