"It's getting tougher and tougher to do business," says Chen. In the old days, mainland tea wasn't vacuum packed, which made it hard to keep. But the importation of Taiwanese packaging technology now allows mainland teas to keep better. The improved freshness, together with the implementation of stringent quality controls and the growing number of varieties available, has eliminated Taiwanese tea's competitive advantage.
「生意一天比一天難做，」陳志任也說，早期大陸茶沒有真空包裝，保存不易，隨著台灣技術慢慢流入後，大陸茶的新鮮度提高，品管嚴格，加上各省茶種爭奇鬥豔，台灣進口茶的優勢也就不再了。