For myself, the appeal of Taobao is the massive amount of tea that is otherwise unavailable or difficult to access outside of east Asia. I’ve held off on specific Taobao recommendations because the landscape can change quickly and I tend to create content with a longer release cycle. This post is an exception. I’m writing and releasing this post quickly so they are all currently available at this specific moment of time in February 2026. Some may still be there in a year, others may not.

How To Buy

1. The Direct Method

For those comfortable with the Taobao app, you can buy directly and ship to a shipping agent (like ShipForwarder).

• The Process: You buy the tea → ship it to the agent’s warehouse → they consolidate multiple orders → you pay for one international package.
• Shipping Lines: * Guangzhou ePacket: Best for small hauls (under 2kg).
  • EMS: Faster, but expensive.
  • Sea Freight: The “slow boat,” but significantly cheaper for heavy hauls. Oftentimes unavailable.
• Estimated Cost: Expect to pay roughly $0.03–$0.05/g in shipping fees.

2. The Beginner-Friendly Method (Super Buy)

If you don’t want to navigate the Chinese UI, use an intermediary like Super Buy.

• Browsing: Use a standard Taobao account to find what you want. Alternatively if you don’t have a Taobao account you can use the Super Buy Browsing function but it is reportedly a bit finicky.
• Fund: Send money to your agent (Super Buy) and have them buy it for you. Most will accept paypal or other methods.
• Purchasing: Paste that URL into Super Buy. They buy the item for you, receive it, and take QC (Quality Control) photos.
• Consolidation: Once all your cakes arrive at their warehouse, you trigger the final international shipment.

Join the The Tea Table Discord. The Taobao channel is a valuable resource for real-time help with account lockouts or finding specific “hidden” storefronts.

Price Range

Taobao has all the price ranges, but western Taobaoers typically shop at what would be considered more of the budget price range in the western scene. I think more people should check out more expensive tea, but I also understand why people opt for inexpensive options when there are a lot of barriers towards pricier gambles. Regardless, I have not tried enough higher-end options to wholeheartedly recommend them so these picks are centered in the $0.05-$0.30/g range.

The Picks

In no particular order.

Fancy Ripe: 2007 Dayi Anxiang via Chen Tang (link) $65/400g ($0.16/g)

This is a fancy ripe. Credits to shah for turning me onto this years ago. It used to be pricier but Dayi prices have gone down quite a bit. Very refined and a nice aged profile.

One major risk in Taobao is the storage factor. There’s always some unknown aspect to it. Different vendors have different storage and there’s often a decent degree of variability in the storage offered. For Dayi raw in this age range, much of the storage is a bit drier than my preference. It’s not unforgivable but the storage is an important factor towards how the tea presents. For ripe it’s not nearly as important making it a higher batting average category than raw.

Daily Ripe: 2006 Dayi 7562 via Chen Tang (link) $25/250g ($0.10/g)

A cheap brick? Really? Credits to Phobos for turning me onto this one and Chen Tang. It’s simply a very good daily drink, antique wood profile. Less tippy and high-end than the Anxiang but just as delicious in most of the ways that count.

If you are a ripe enjoyer, Chen Tang is a good place to pick up a variety of ripes. Fan of 7572? They have a dozen options, almost all inexpensive. Same with much of the other popular Dayi recipes including raw like v93, 7542, 8582, Golden Needle White Lotus, etc.

Dayi to Age: 2015 Dayi Purple via Chen Tang (link) $67/357g ($0.19/g)

In an infamous Hong Kong Category III film, Red to Kill, an evil social worker goes from a seemingly well adjusted empathetic man to an absolute maniac when he gets triggered by the color red. This is how I feel about the western tea scene with the color purple. Purple wrappers seems to drive them into a mania to buy buy buy.

This cake has been peddled around the west for various prices. Like many Dayi teas it was quite a bit higher about 5 years ago, but has fallen to a pretty reasonable price range. If you want to hear our thoughts on this tea search our video archives.

Unlike the Purple, I highly unrecommend Red to Kill unless you derive as much enjoyment from absolute depravity as me.

Mid-Range to Drink/Age: 2008 Liming Yayun via Pu’er Youxuantang (link) $98/357g ($0.27/g)

In Taobao some of the shops sound like consignment or even old school pawn shops. One such store was selling this (not the one mentioned here).

This tea is available from a variety of vendors for around $100-125. It isn’t super budget but it punches a bit above its weight. The Yayun has a pleasing old school, smoky, honey profile. I infamously mixed this up with the pricier 502 Double Lion in a blind tasting. Enjoyable to drink now but should improve. Denny and I split a tong.

Mid-Range to Age: 2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock via Pu’er Youxuantang (link) $107/357g ($0.30/g)

Old school Bulang profile, a bit smoky and probably needs more time. I think this one needs longer than the Yayun but if you want some sturdy Nanqiao Bulang for a cheaper price (stares Double Lion down) this is your cake. It’s not quite the same tea as Double Lion but it has a strong, resinous, smoky profile.

Daily Classic Raw: 2003/04 Xiaguan Jiaji (link, link) 2003: $16/100g ($0.16/g). 2004: $9.5/100g ($0.10/g)

From good ol classic, Xiaguan specialist MX Tea, a classic tea. The burly, sturdy Jiaji is a workhorse tea that is worth seeking out and referencing. You can get these 22 and 23 year old tuos for an exceedingly reasonable price. 2004 is the better value, the 2003 is a bit better and still not very expensive. The value of MX over other Xiaguan dealers is they are more consistent selecting for decent storage whereas other vendors can be hit or miss.

MX is a good place to find other inexpensive tuos, like the Teji.

Mid-Range to Drink: 2004 Xiaguan Gold Ribbon Red Eye (link) $32/100g ($0.32/g)

Like a true Taobao degenerate I check MX’s new listings regularly. They sometimes release one-offs or teas that are in limited quantities and sell out quickly. One such tea was the aforementioned Yayun, which was sold out by the time I received my sample cake (Denny and I bought the rest from other vendors). The Gold Ribbon Red Eye is one where I’m not sure how long it will be around. It’s a special production made by XY that is smoother than your standard Jiaji but retains a bit of that crane taste (moreso than the Nanzhao). The later years are better value (2006/2007) but I find the price difference worth it for something a bit older with better material. This is smoother and more easy to drink than the Jiaji right now.

Come, open your wallet and join the Taobao Degen club.